tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25255812248270750732017-09-24T03:41:11.508-05:00Outpost ZetaOutré and cult movie reviews every Friday.Glitter Godzillanoreply@blogger.comBlogger460125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-56608322764547738382017-09-22T09:21:00.001-05:002017-09-22T09:21:07.174-05:00Future War<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NLd8l7mk7hE/WcUY2EHwKLI/AAAAAAAADtY/g3Vtf8snmuUEjAoW_olfr8vH5e0ERvXBwCLcBGAs/s1600/Future-War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="138" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NLd8l7mk7hE/WcUY2EHwKLI/AAAAAAAADtY/g3Vtf8snmuUEjAoW_olfr8vH5e0ERvXBwCLcBGAs/s1600/Future-War.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113135/">Future War</a><br />1997<br />Anthony Doublin<br /><br />A nameless man (or as he calls himself, a Tool) (Daniel Bernhart) escapes from a spaceship and lands in Los Angeles. He’s pursued by black clad cyborgs (Robert Z'Dar and Kazja) who use dinosaurs as trackers. He’s nearly run over by Sister Ann (Travis Brooks Stewart), a prospective nun questioning her faith. Ann discovers this man is a slave born from humans captured by aliens a thousand years ago. What’s more, he can quote the bible. If can’t follow that plot, the movie will happily restate it four or five times.<br /><br /><i>Future War</i> may have many faults, but lack of ambition is not one of them. With a minuscule budget, <i>Future War</i> throws in, spaceships, cyborgs, dinosaurs, a scrappy street gang, kickboxing, and Robert Z’Dar. That is healthy batch of ingredients for any movie. <i>Future War </i>is not just content to throw together some science-fiction action, it is also eager to engage in some dialogue on the nature of God and man or… something.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dWSz5a-cbcE/WcUY96BuvAI/AAAAAAAADtc/XkQEeoGi_08_qmrprB-e46_spLFod4mhQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-09-22-09h01m54s852.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="476" height="242" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dWSz5a-cbcE/WcUY96BuvAI/AAAAAAAADtc/XkQEeoGi_08_qmrprB-e46_spLFod4mhQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-09-22-09h01m54s852.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Aww, adowable.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Out of all the oddities that <i>Future War</i> engages in, the religious angle is perhaps the most curious. We begin with Sister Ann, a character torn between her shady past and accepting her vows as a nun. This works fine, as it gives the character a moral center to act from, some conflict, and a (mostly) believable reason to know gangs, pimps, and gunrunners. The Tool (IMDB lists him as The Runaway, but he constantly refers to himself as a Tool.), shows up and is a character of unquestioning faith. He thinks Earth is heaven, and is seemingly fine with the fact the heaven has no problem letting cyborgs and exploding dinosaurs kill innocent people. It feels like the movie wants to say something profound here about this innocent man coming to Earth to save us all, but failing that, a kickboxing fight in a church will have to suffice.<br /><br />The real star of the movie are the Trackers, trained dinosaurs that hunt people down at the behest of their cyborg masters. They are created through a combination of some actual good-looking puppets and some terrible looking miniature and forced perspective camera work. The monsters change size from scene to scene, and often do not look like they interacting with human actors at alll. The does not prevent the movie from staging a dinosaur/cyborg/Tool battle that ends with a dead dinosaur falling on an unconscious cyborg only to explode. A C- in execution, but A+ for effort.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDrmTaAL7sk/WcUZD1xJJUI/AAAAAAAADtg/dj7RF82rmJYfJsYZ5z_7u91IpqjNy0d3ACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-09-22-09h00m38s606.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="476" height="242" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DDrmTaAL7sk/WcUZD1xJJUI/AAAAAAAADtg/dj7RF82rmJYfJsYZ5z_7u91IpqjNy0d3ACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-09-22-09h00m38s606.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Ugh, I swallowed my gum!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Robert Z’Dar shows up as a cyborg slaver. For reasons best not explained, all cyborgs have mullets and mustaches. He doesn’t have any lines, but he does get to walk around and making whirring noises a lot. Every slight movement by a cyborg in the film results in a loud whirring sound effect (the <i>same</i> loud whirring sound effect). It turns quite madding by the time the finale comes around. Daniel Bernhardt honestly tries to make the best of his role as the Tool, the dialogue doesn’t help one bit, but he manages to make the character likable enough. As a stage fighter, he's very good, it’s just a shame he spends most of his time either fighting cyborgs who just stand there or dinosaur puppets that are six feet closer to the camera than he is.<br /><br /><i>Future War</i> is a big goofy mess in the best tradition. It takes a script that would tax a mid-budget Hollywood production and tries to make do with empty cardboard boxes and pallets. It aspires to not only deliver some scares and action, but also make a statement about faith. It fails almost completely, but still manages to entertain. Ed Wood Jr. would be proud.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-57840343621712246142017-09-15T10:57:00.002-05:002017-09-18T20:33:01.080-05:00Miracle Mile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOJlRqRIBtw/WbmKE7YG4rI/AAAAAAAADsQ/0-0cB05UepgxAae0O71NpQ7LgNW09CcLQCLcBGAs/s1600/Miracle-Mile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="174" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mOJlRqRIBtw/WbmKE7YG4rI/AAAAAAAADsQ/0-0cB05UepgxAae0O71NpQ7LgNW09CcLQCLcBGAs/s1600/Miracle-Mile.jpg" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097889/">Miracle Mile</a><br />1988<br />Steve De Jarnatt<br /><br />Harry (Anthony Edwards), is a love-struck trombone player who has finally managed to get a date with Julie (Mare Winningham), a server at Johnie’s in L.A. An electrical fire shuts down power to Harry’s building and he oversleeps for their date. Rushing to the restaurant three hours late, he answers a pay phone. The voice on the other side is terrified and nearly in tears. The voice tells Harry that nuclear missiles are going wipe out everything in just over an hour.<br /><br /><i>Miracle Mile</i> begins in a calm fashion. It allows the characters and the viewer to idle in the romantic comedy of the first act. Harry has a nerdy self-assured nature that is disarming. Julie is no maiden-in-waiting; she is her own person with her own boundaries. The story skillfully shows us how these characters interact with their world in just a few scenes. <i>Miracle Mile</i> even throws in a cast of quirky characters at Johnie's, the 24-hour restaurant where the plot begins to kick-off. Like the faux romantic comedy opening, this is a ploy to get the viewer to drop their guard. We won’t be seeing much of these people after things get under way.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWvjYGwkaUs/WbsZ82p1_CI/AAAAAAAADs0/bXq9EUZeyzsvaoC_SDBRG_YA94wPodn7gCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-09-14-18h56m07s233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CWvjYGwkaUs/WbsZ82p1_CI/AAAAAAAADs0/bXq9EUZeyzsvaoC_SDBRG_YA94wPodn7gCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-09-14-18h56m07s233.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">[Black Friday Joke #55432]</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The movie warns us that severe shifts in tone are coming when Harry absentmindedly throws a lit cigarette away. A bird picks it up, and at first we see the comic image of it with a lit cigarette in its beak. We cut away and when we return to the bird, it has lit its own nest on fire. It’s a brilliant multi-functional scene that not only results in a key plot point of Harry oversleeping as the fire knocks out power to the building, but it also serves as a demonstration of the film’s fluid tone and a metaphor for the nuclear annihilation that is coming. Scenes repeatedly escalate with slyly comedic moments building towards unexpected tragedy, and it all tumbling into outright chaos by the end.<br /><br /><i>Miracle Mile</i> is pretty progressive for 1988, it has a diverse cast of various genders, and races. There are trans and gay characters, and even through their screen time is limited, they are presented as people instead of punchlines. Wilson (Mykelti Williamson), an African-American is first shown as a stereotypical thief, but he is later shown to have an inner emotional life and devotion to his sister that drives him to extremes. Brian Thompson makes an extended cameo as gay Vietnam Vet who is true to his word even to strangers while facing WWIII. It is not all perfect, but for the time-period, it is impressive.<br /><br />Tangerine Dream create a soundtrack that is urgent, but still gives the action an unreality that suits just how an immense event might feel to those dealing with it on the ground.Between the soundtrack and look of the film, it all comes together as a floating dream of 1980s consumerism and the ever present nightmare of nuclear war.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pJ-y6aP6SAw/WbsXcREe3TI/AAAAAAAADsg/n2mCpqMyjpELLVEMW9HZTGfrtZvGiKyiQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-09-14-18h55m05s584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pJ-y6aP6SAw/WbsXcREe3TI/AAAAAAAADsg/n2mCpqMyjpELLVEMW9HZTGfrtZvGiKyiQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-09-14-18h55m05s584.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">In case of nuclear attack, apply cookie dough directly to eyes.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>At the center, this is a traditional love story, and it is Harry and Julie’s continual search for one another that forms the emotional core of the film. There is a repeated mirroring of their relationship as we see other pairs of characters searching, finding, and more often than not, losing one another. Harry and Julie’s connection carries through even the utter madness at the end of the world. The movie pushes towards the question of whether their love could even transcend the apocalypse.<br /><br />A question sadly still relevant today.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-36799624587637904652017-09-08T09:31:00.000-05:002017-09-08T12:11:02.260-05:00It's a Doggy Dog World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YEkXp20iEvA/WbKphiwfIpI/AAAAAAAADqc/Yu2orV2YHZM0NVUB-kT2ROSy1At61vU9wCLcBGAs/s1600/devil-dog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YEkXp20iEvA/WbKphiwfIpI/AAAAAAAADqc/Yu2orV2YHZM0NVUB-kT2ROSy1At61vU9wCLcBGAs/s320/devil-dog.png" width="219" /></a></div><br />I thought reviewing a whole summer’s worth of genre movies featuring dogs was going to be relatively easy. My criteria was pretty basic. The movie had to center around a dog or dogs in some fashion. They could be the protagonist or the antagonist, but not just a side character. (<i>Moonwolf </i>(1959)), of course tricked me, almost right out of the gate.) I tried not to select only horror movies, but at the same time, I wanted to avoid <i>Lassie</i> movies and anything churned out by the <i>Air Bud</i> franchise. I also wanted to avoid werewolf movies, since they are their own sub-genre, (<i>Monster Dog</i>&nbsp;(1984) is basically a werewolf movie, but it had ‘Dog’ in the title, so what the heck…).<br /><br />After sitting through 11 weeks of dog movies, I have come to think that the definitive genre dog movie has yet to be made.<br /><br />That has not to say they are terrible as a rule, but for a creature that has had such a long and complex relationship with humans, you think there would be more to say in terms of our fears and hopes that are intertwined with them. Perhaps the technical difficulties in working with animals limits what can be done on screen. That said, I am always for actual animals working on the screen with actors, it provides for a reality that can’t be duplicated in green room with dots taped on a stick.<br /><br /><i>Cujo</i>&nbsp;(1983) comes the closest to fulfilling my notion of an ideal dog genre movie. Cujo as a character is a cherished pet turned killer through no fault of his own. Cujo embodies both the companion and the threat that define dogs throughout our history. There is a certain risk we undertake allowing animals into our home and good horror plays on this. It is interesting to note that out of all of the movies I reviewed over the summer (except <i>Moonwolf</i>… because ugh, that movie), only <i>Rottweiler</i>, (and <i>Monster Dog</i> to a lesser extent) used stray dogs as their villain.<br /><br /><i>Lucky</i> was by far the most unusual &nbsp;use of a dog out of this set. The film uses Lucky less as an animal companion and more like the murky subconscious of its main character, this plays on the nature of pet ownership. We provide and shelter these animals in return for their companionship. Through this connection we project upon them aspects of a personality. The pet often serves as the voice for things from our interior lives. Unfortunately, for the people inhabiting the world of <i>Lucky</i>, it is the interior voice of a horrifying killer.<br /><br />Was it fun watching dog movies all summer? Sure! (Not you, <i>Moonwolf</i>). Yet, at the end of it, I can see there is definitely room for more. This is an untapped sub-genre. Maybe it is held back because there is a stigma attached to animal movies as being strictly kiddie fare, but somewhere out there the next great dog movie is waiting to happen.<br /><br />Maybe next summer.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8i1O9x1t8kI/WbFePIgi0OI/AAAAAAAADp8/WHuXUPYzZXs3KxOW22j19vqm_CQHAPRdACLcBGAs/s1600/dog-days.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="550" height="86" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8i1O9x1t8kI/WbFePIgi0OI/AAAAAAAADp8/WHuXUPYzZXs3KxOW22j19vqm_CQHAPRdACLcBGAs/s320/dog-days.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Dog Days of Summer 2017:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/07/moonwolf.html"><i>Moonwolf</i> </a>(1959)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/06/dogs.html">Dogs</a></i> (1976)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/07/devil-dog-hound-of-hell.html">Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell</a></i> (1978)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/08/chomps.html">C.H.O.M.P.S.</a></i> (1979)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/06/draculas-dog.html">Dracula's Dog</a></i> (1978)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/08/play-dead.html">Play Dead</a></i> (1981)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/08/rottweiler-dogs-of-hell.html">Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell</a></i> (1982)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/09/cujo.html">Cujo</a></i> (1983)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/07/monster-dog.html">Monster Dog</a></i> (1984)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/08/mans-best-friend.html">Man's Best Friend</a></i> (1993)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/07/lucky.html">Lucky</a></i> (2004)<br /><br /><a href="https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/1757305-zoltan?store_id=116591">Don't forget to pick up your very own Zoltan: Hound of Dracula shirt!</a></div><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-31020436996034765882017-09-01T10:58:00.003-05:002017-09-01T10:58:46.166-05:00Cujo<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3DOb1vEF10/WahSdHvs3mI/AAAAAAAADok/gpCVEhZ3a7g7bz4kzEPmAdJMOzl43bCVwCLcBGAs/s1600/Cujo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="175" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o3DOb1vEF10/WahSdHvs3mI/AAAAAAAADok/gpCVEhZ3a7g7bz4kzEPmAdJMOzl43bCVwCLcBGAs/s1600/Cujo.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085382/">Cujo</a><br />1983<br />Lewis Teague<br /><br />Donna Trenton (Dee Wallace) is a bored stay-at-home mom, feeling trapped in her mundane existence with her child, Tad (Danny Pintauro), and her ad executive husband who is often gone for extended periods. She takes up an affair with an old high school flame, but soon regrets her decision and tries to make amends. With her home life starting to crumble around her, she finds herself alone with just her son, a broken down car, and a giant rabid St. Bernard outside her door that would like nothing more than to tear her apart.<br /><br />Much like the author’s output, Stephen King adaptions vary wildly in quality. His work appears deceptively easy to adapt. The homey well documented lives of his characters, and the sadistic bloodletting of his horror are so smoothly and skillfully rendered that it is easy to picture the events in the mind's eye while reading. It has proven to be far more difficult to translate those images to the screen.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91W50OQZ-Sg/WahSdUigZUI/AAAAAAAADoc/ho-HTcaLOf0mn2DTV2SkPc_WE_SqF0MJwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Cujo01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="476" height="168" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-91W50OQZ-Sg/WahSdUigZUI/AAAAAAAADoc/ho-HTcaLOf0mn2DTV2SkPc_WE_SqF0MJwCEwYBhgL/s320/Cujo01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"I WAS TOLD THERE WOULD BE SNAUSAGES!!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Cujo</i>, is a straightforward narrative. In a way, it parallels the structure of <i>Jaws</i> (1975), with the first half of the film establishing characters and the threat, while the second half becomes an extended siege in an isolated location. In the former, it’s a boat and in <i>Cujo</i>, it is Donna and Tad Trenton boiling in a non-functional Pinto.&nbsp; The way the plot builds though a series of accidents and coincidence to put the Trentons in that position is surprisingly clever. Watching mother and son drive into a trap completely unaware is not quite up to Hitchcock levels of suspense, but for a killer dog movie, it is positively transcendent.<br /><br />Dee Wallace is excellent in her role, she gives Donna Trenton a real internal life that shows through her failings and her eventual bravery. She imbues the character a humanity that is often missing from horror movie roles. She is not a quaking mess, or a superhuman ass-kicker, she’s a person put into an extreme situation and if we didn’t care about her plight, the final third of the movie would be a slog.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBnkLgzOjf8/WahSdHp11aI/AAAAAAAADog/-bDaQr4NwScycDH4TviQRMvZxiTGAmSXgCEwYBhgL/s1600/cujo02jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="565" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBnkLgzOjf8/WahSdHp11aI/AAAAAAAADog/-bDaQr4NwScycDH4TviQRMvZxiTGAmSXgCEwYBhgL/s320/cujo02jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"No, you can't drive. You don't even how to parallel bark yet."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The other standout role is <i>Cujo</i> (well, the five dogs who played the role), the whole movie hinges on convincing performances from the animal actors. Often dogs just look like they are playing and having fun in roles where they are meant to be threatening, but <i>Cujo</i> is helped immensely by make-up, careful staging and editing. He is a grotesque and sad creation, evoking sympathy just through watching his friendly visage turn bloody and frothy through the course of the film.<br /><br /><i>Cujo</i> has a lot of talent and decent source material to draw from and it shows. This is both a solid killer dog movie and a solid Stephen King movie. Everyone involved rises to the occasion. If anything, I think this movie might be underrated in the pantheon of King adaptions. <i>Cujo</i> is a taught, well made film that shows a lot of character without sacrificing what makes it a horror movie.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-22019321767571724352017-08-25T10:58:00.000-05:002017-08-25T10:58:08.680-05:00Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGFcm4lJMBQ/WZ8bRhYAuEI/AAAAAAAADn8/K151u2a0ftYdNZW-y7pPR3EaD6gyv15lACLcBGAs/s1600/Dogs-of-Hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="164" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGFcm4lJMBQ/WZ8bRhYAuEI/AAAAAAAADn8/K151u2a0ftYdNZW-y7pPR3EaD6gyv15lACLcBGAs/s1600/Dogs-of-Hell.jpg" /></a> <br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131359/" style="outline-offset: 0px; outline: 1px dotted;">Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell</a> (aka Dogs of Hell aka Rottweiler) <br />1982<br />Worth Keeter III<br /><br />A pack of military bred Rottweilers is being transported across the country in a truck when an accident sets them free. They head for the small mountain community of Lake Lure. When the locals start turning up dead and very mangled, the sheriff decides his best course of action is to assemble drunk yokels with guns to hunt down whatever is killing people. It doesn’t go very well, as you would expect.<br /><br />Popular culture seems to favor an evil dog breed du jour. Pitbulls have held the spotlight for some time. Dobermans were the sinister killers for a while, and somewhere in the 1980s Rottweilers enjoyed a brief reign as the public's most frightening kind of dog. Horror is often an expression of popular fears and anxieties, so it’s no surprise that a film would center on a pack of government bred Rottweilers laying siege to a small town. It is the perfect package to deliver on worries of the military, science gone awry, and a breed of dog that was seen as a public menace.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEdh8A0Xgco/WZ8bsZ2MMDI/AAAAAAAADoE/OEMPdkp1SxYBr5G6KrAB2MIo4Sky9b-hACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-24-13h18m27s050.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="540" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gEdh8A0Xgco/WZ8bsZ2MMDI/AAAAAAAADoE/OEMPdkp1SxYBr5G6KrAB2MIo4Sky9b-hACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-24-13h18m27s050.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Why no one thought to include mud wrestling<br /> in a 3-D movie prior to this one is a mystery.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell</i> is a great example of a film that doesn’t set out to forge a new path, and is more than happy to be a serviceable piece of familiar genre story telling. The movie uses the well-worn <i>Jaws</i> (1975) formula with a sleepy town, put-up authority figures, and slow to react officials. It does mix things up very slightly by having a seemingly sympathetic scientist turn out to be less than kind. It also sets out to replicate the languid pace of <i>Jaws</i>, but takes it too far and never really capitalizes on the building tension until the last twenty minutes or so.<br /><br /><i>Rottweiler: Dogs of Hell</i> was original filmed for a 3-D presentation, and it has several gratuitous shots with things flying at the camera. The initial dog attacks are mostly off screen with brief glimpses of the aftermath. I worried that the movie was going to pull its punches too much, but as it draws closer to the climax, it indulges in some vicious and brutal attacks. The film even dips ever so slightly into splatter territory; a welcome surprise for something I feared was going to be tepid.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AyRqm0zuhgo/WZ8buGMvWlI/AAAAAAAADoI/gxW6zKUyfAU80a9oTSWgf9gC1f3K0qajwCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-24-13h19m43s917.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="540" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AyRqm0zuhgo/WZ8buGMvWlI/AAAAAAAADoI/gxW6zKUyfAU80a9oTSWgf9gC1f3K0qajwCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-24-13h19m43s917.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Welcome to Hell... wait... yeah, welcome to Hell.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;Most of the characters, including the lead, Earl Owensby, feel like interchangeable fodder for the dogs. The only one of note is Dr. Adam Fletcher (Bill Gribble), and that is mostly due to his last minute turn from concerned scientist to violent would-be murderer. Even the dogs lack any personality. I doubt anyone went into <i>Rottweiler</i> looking for deep characterization, but it would have been nice to have a character or two to invest the viewer.<br /><br />R<i>ottweiler: Dogs of Hell</i> is an unassuming yet still fun slice of canine horror. There is nothing earth shaking or amazing about it, but it does offer some solid entertainment and plenty of monstrous dogs doing monstrous things. The real horror here is the slow uneventful trod it takes to get to the good stuff.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-71377644958456385862017-08-18T09:44:00.001-05:002017-08-18T09:46:15.298-05:00Man's Best Friend<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCOZYKZPaIU/WZW63esaNvI/AAAAAAAADnY/O5j8m4IC7PQ1OIhCNcqCrijvj6LGQpSoQCLcBGAs/s1600/Mans-Best-Friend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZCOZYKZPaIU/WZW63esaNvI/AAAAAAAADnY/O5j8m4IC7PQ1OIhCNcqCrijvj6LGQpSoQCLcBGAs/s1600/Mans-Best-Friend.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107504/">Man’s Best Friend</a><br />1993<br />John Lafia<br /><br />After an opening credit sequence that is strangely evocative of the one from <i>Cheers,</i> we meet Judy (Robin Frates) and Lori (Ally Sheedy), bored employees at a television news show. They are following a lead from a woman who works at a place called EMAX. The lead claims horrifying animal experiments are occurring there. After breaking in, Lori befriends Max, a large canine test subject. She ends up taking Max home after a narrow escape from the lab. Max’s creator Dr. Jarret (Lance Henriksen) hunts for his creation. Max is no ordinary dog, he’s genetically modified and super intelligent. What’s worse, the drug keeping him stable is wearing off and soon he could become an unstoppable killer.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Rq463v5Q18/WZW7ezdIiLI/AAAAAAAADng/ddgJfv_Woeg0hJoihCkZ9kd5iWnFDuMmACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2012-03-10-10h54m05s58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="672" height="174" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0Rq463v5Q18/WZW7ezdIiLI/AAAAAAAADng/ddgJfv_Woeg0hJoihCkZ9kd5iWnFDuMmACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2012-03-10-10h54m05s58.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">It was a cat in dogsuit all along!</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Horror-comedy is a difficult balance to strike, and <i>Man’s Best Friend</i> spends most of its time flailing around looking for a tone. For two-thirds of its length, the movie tries its best to work as a dark comedy by taking commonplace and clichéd dog tropes and pushing them just slightly into horror territory. Max doesn’t just bite the mailman, he shakes off a blast of mace, promptly chases the poor guy down and tears his throat out. A chance encounter with a cat results not in only Max climbing a tree after it, but also swallowing it whole. The problem is that none of this is ever particularly funny or frightening. Strangely, if you removed the more overt horror and sex from this film it would not be out of place in the slurry of direct to video animal based kid’s movies that infest Redbox and Netflix.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mabw3qam0KE/WZW7EG9giJI/AAAAAAAADnc/BsU65mku6BYYIGQEeeJfFQNxqntWToqCQCLcBGAs/s1600/mansbestfriendinvisble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="720" height="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mabw3qam0KE/WZW7EG9giJI/AAAAAAAADnc/BsU65mku6BYYIGQEeeJfFQNxqntWToqCQCLcBGAs/s320/mansbestfriendinvisble.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AHHHHH!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Although gifted with a great cast, <i>Man’s Best Friend</i> does not offer anyone to root for. Max is played as a sympathetic beast to a point, but he’s also a ruthless predator who is happy to kill innocent people and animals.&nbsp; Ally Sheedy’s Lori is meant to be the central protagonist, but she is sidelined for large portions of the story. By the end, she has little to do but react to the mayhem around her. Lance Henriksen is always a magnetic presence on screen, and his morally compromised scientist is the most interesting of the lot, but ultimately, he is just a cold-hearted villain chasing a dog around with a gun. Even William Sanders makes a brief appearance as a seemingly sympathetic junkyard proprietor who turns out to be an awful animal abuser.<br /><br />The appearance of the film is unremarkable; it looks like most mid-budget horror films from the early 1990s. The special effects work well enough, save for one embarrassing green screen stunt involving Max leaping between two cars. This isn’t an excessively violent movie. Despite what the cover would have you believe, Max doesn’t sport a <i>Terminator</i> (1984) style endoskeleton beneath his fur, but he does manage to steal a gimmick from <i>Predator</i> (1987).<br /><br /><i>Man’s Best Friend</i> is watchable, but only just so. It is never funny, gross, or weird enough to catch your attention or demand much reconsideration after the credits have ended. Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-36670685931690540712017-08-11T09:15:00.004-05:002017-08-11T09:17:15.884-05:00C.H.O.M.P.S.<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2N--m6j5Kwk/WYy3T821yCI/AAAAAAAADnA/aFIEpbNhnqsDlIwExAHFlEqXGRUEzmDvwCLcBGAs/s1600/CHOMPS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="159" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2N--m6j5Kwk/WYy3T821yCI/AAAAAAAADnA/aFIEpbNhnqsDlIwExAHFlEqXGRUEzmDvwCLcBGAs/s1600/CHOMPS.png" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078924/">C.H.O.M.P.S</a>.<br />1979<br />Don Chaffey<br /><br />Brian Foster (Wesley Eure) works for a security company. He is also dating Casey (Valerie Bertinelli), who happens to be the daughter of his boss, Ralph Norton (Conrad Bain). Brian’s job is on the line after a recent screw-up, so he decides to unveil his latest invention: Canine HOme Protection System or C.H.O.M.P.S. This creation is a small robot that looks just like a dog, but just happens to have super strength, x-ray vision, and a tape player for reproducing goofy cartoon sound effects.<br /><br />A movie about robot dog seems rife with possibility. Even if you don't feel like wading into musings on the nature of life and free will, there’s plenty of comedy to mine out of a small dog that happens to be a physical powerhouse and a brilliant computer. <i>C.H.O.M.P.S.</i> ignores all of this, and instead endlessly repeats a loop of bungling robbers, silly robot malfunctions, and endless chase scenes set to upbeat 1970’s action news music. <i>C.H.O.M.P.S.</i> was the first and only collaboration between Hanna-Barbera and American International Pictures, and after viewing it, I can see why.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fp6AxXwkvlU/WYy3ZfWxdSI/AAAAAAAADnE/L5B4aZaohGQAp2IzAKUiw8CMO7ePpCahQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-10-14h36m24s884.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fp6AxXwkvlU/WYy3ZfWxdSI/AAAAAAAADnE/L5B4aZaohGQAp2IzAKUiw8CMO7ePpCahQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-10-14h36m24s884.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">What it feels like to watch this movie.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Comedy films are tough. A horror or science fiction film can fail and succeed on a number of levels and still be watchable. A comedy film has one overarching goal, it needs to be funny, or it becomes a barely watchable slog. The comedy in <i>C.H.O.M.P.S.</i> consists of terrible slapstick and mugging for the camera. It is very mild, even for what is ostensibly a kid's movie. For no explainable reason, the creators of the film decided to spice things up with the interior monologue of a dog named Monster, who is prone to dropping a few curse words once and a while. No other animals talk in the entire film. Monster has zero impact on the plot, and I only assume was inserted at some point to give the movie a PG rating.<br /><br />If you like notable TV actors then this might be the movie for you, Conrad Bain of <i>Different Strokes</i> fame, Jim Backus from <i>Gilligan’s Island</i>, and Valerie Bertinelli, star of <i>One Day at a Time</i>, all have roles. The acting in the film is relatively good, especially when watching these actors try and bring something to the nonsense plot and unending dearth of comedy throughout its run-time. C.H.O.M.P.S. himself isn’t called on to do much more than run and occasionally jump on someone. The dog doesn’t have much charisma on screen, but he hits his marks and does what he is supposed to with a minimum of fuss.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ71gKNMO5A/WYy3h08QTEI/AAAAAAAADnI/HjxzN12vp6s-QVRFwfzHY_EBmcXp0HhdQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-10-14h40m38s383.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TJ71gKNMO5A/WYy3h08QTEI/AAAAAAAADnI/HjxzN12vp6s-QVRFwfzHY_EBmcXp0HhdQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-10-14h40m38s383.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Must be running on Windows 10</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The film briefly mentions C.H.O.M.P.S<i>.</i> as not having any real affection or emotions. This element is entirely forgotten for the rest of the story until the end, when it is brought up again for one "heartfelt"scene. This is promptly dropped by the time the final wacky wrap-up gives way to the credits.<br /><br />I have no way to show<i> C.H.O.M.P.S.</i> any affection because it doesn’t deserve any. It’s a middling, unfunny, ramshackle mess of a movie. <i>C.H.O.M.P.S</i>. needs to be euthanized and thrown in the recycling bin.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-9213517008942805592017-08-04T10:05:00.003-05:002017-08-04T10:06:53.596-05:00Play Dead<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mo4YEKa6RO4/WYN4HdG-dvI/AAAAAAAADmU/Lc2VrFEqR8MIcdTq47emdcKixdclSwr1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Play-Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mo4YEKa6RO4/WYN4HdG-dvI/AAAAAAAADmU/Lc2VrFEqR8MIcdTq47emdcKixdclSwr1QCLcBGAs/s1600/Play-Dead.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082914/">Play Dead</a><br />1981<br />Peter Wittman<br /><br />Hester (Yvonne De Carlo) arrives at the funeral of her sister, whom she blames for stealing away a lover years ago. Vowing revenge, she gives her heirs a Rottweiler named Greta. Greta seems benign, but secretly Hester is using black magic to control Greta and bump off her relatives one-by-one. Only a bumbling detective named Otis ) Glenn Kezer seems to glean what’s really happening, but he too could fall victim to Hester's wicked scheme.<br /><br /><i>Play Dead</i> takes an otherwise interesting premise and squanders it. Operating like the half-hearted offspring of <a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/07/devil-dog-hound-of-hell.html"><i>Devil Dog: Hound of Hell</i></a> (1978) and <i>The Omen</i> (1976), we are presented with a vessel of evil through Greta, a sinister looking Rottweiler. Rather than having Greta maul her victims, she carefully finds ways to do them in and make it look accidental.&nbsp; None of the murders that Greta commits are particularly clever or gruesome, and this continually robs the film of what little momentum that it possesses. I think the movie could have stolen even more obviously from <i>The Omen</i> and made Greta some breed that was smaller and less threatening. Everyone expects a big scary dog with a pentagram on its collar to be up to no good (except the characters in this film, they are oblivious to the point of absurdity), there’s just no surprise here.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0apSxwXZjk/WYN4MYjzS3I/AAAAAAAADmY/B3QlFI3RIxM2X-Lt_YNWCAclWWpqRFTCwCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-03-14h15m16s679.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M0apSxwXZjk/WYN4MYjzS3I/AAAAAAAADmY/B3QlFI3RIxM2X-Lt_YNWCAclWWpqRFTCwCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-03-14h15m16s679.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Did you just call me Morticia Addams?"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Yvonne De Carlo, of <i>Munsters</i> fame, plays Hester, the woman who is behind Greta’s evil deeds. I’m grateful the movie didn’t try and milk the fame of her former role. There is a touch of gothic evil in her, but it is very much hidden behind the veneer of a wealthy socialite who is wary of her needy relatives. She’s charming and engaging when she’s on screen, except for the closing moments of the story, the movie never finds her much to do. The real star of the movie ends up being, Detective Otis (Glenn Kezer). He’s a schluby guy who’s happy to borrow another officer’s car without asking, and seems much more interested in sandwiches than doing any detective work. In the desert of entertainment that is <i>Play Dead</i>, he is a tiny oasis of amusement.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvapz8-i6lw/WYN4XS25SKI/AAAAAAAADmc/lPTs8coxdXwYukA89Eyvgn3BTeTQ6ykJwCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-08-03-14h19m04s885.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Cvapz8-i6lw/WYN4XS25SKI/AAAAAAAADmc/lPTs8coxdXwYukA89Eyvgn3BTeTQ6ykJwCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-08-03-14h19m04s885.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Ris rovie really rucks."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>What the movie lacks in chills it more than makes up for in awkward sex scenes. <i>Play Dead</i> features not only two uninteresting bathing scenes, but it also manages to engage in one of longest and least sensual undressing scenes ever put to film. It’s a moment that goes nowhere, advances nothing except the running time, and only culminates in hilariously dated briefs as its punchline.<br /><br />Aside from a tiny bit of blood and nudity, <i>Play Dead</i> is milder than most TV movies of the era. It is not energetic or interesting. It’s only useful as a way to see Yvonne De Carol in a non-Musters roll late in her career (and honestly just go watch <i>Cellar Dweller</i> (1988) or <i>Mirror Mirror</i> (1990) if that’s what you are looking for). <i>Play Dead</i> is very aptly titled.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-58884580441196184142017-07-28T10:13:00.001-05:002017-07-28T10:13:25.380-05:00Lucky<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrPOARmwlQQ/WXovP6JNWPI/AAAAAAAADls/NJ-HKjO95KkDQ0XwcIsZgpshYh1b5Q5hQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrPOARmwlQQ/WXovP6JNWPI/AAAAAAAADls/NJ-HKjO95KkDQ0XwcIsZgpshYh1b5Q5hQCLcBGAs/s1600/Lucky.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0299014/">Lucky</a><br />2004<br />Steve Cudden<br /><br />Millard Mudd is an alcoholic scriptwriter for cartoon shows. He’s lonely, depressed, and his career is going nowhere. One night he ventures out from his (literally) beer can filled home to get some more booze when he runs over a small dog. The dog's tag says ‘Lucky’. He takes Lucky home, sews its guts back in, and despite the fact that it isn’t moving or breathing he keeps it as a friend. Finally realizing that maybe his new pal isn’t doing so well, he buries it, only to have Lucky pop out of the grave and speak to Millard telepathically. Lucky is here to help Millard’s career as a writer, and the dog only has one request. Millard has to start giving in to his murderous urges.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFX7K8adXaQ/WXovVdj4q2I/AAAAAAAADlw/B83dWHS7YQw11Pyp2rsIMUxK86sktH3kACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-07-27-13h18m15s609.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uFX7K8adXaQ/WXovVdj4q2I/AAAAAAAADlw/B83dWHS7YQw11Pyp2rsIMUxK86sktH3kACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-07-27-13h18m15s609.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">The face of evil.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Lucky</i> is a black comedy at heart. It does tread into some very dark places, including rape, torture, neophilia, and mutilation.&nbsp; This is a film out to push a few buttons, and since the director and the writer both have worked almost exclusively for animated shows, just like the wayward main character, this movie probably served as a release valve from those pressures. Writing for children’s animation, especially in the 1990s limited the subject matter and how adult a writer could push a story. With that in mind, the extreme elements of this movie begin to make more sense in terms of why they go as far as they do.<br /><br />The comedy in <i>Lucky</i> mostly stems from the sardonic voice of Millard as he narrates his life. Often the narration serves as crutch for weak writing in films, but here it allows the viewer not only a peek into the mind of an isolated person who’s sanity is crumbling, but also his detachment from his actions. The verbal back and forth between Millard and<i> </i>Lucky<i> </i>are some of the best moments, and it is in these moments that the writing really shines. The transition of Lucky from comic foil to controlling abuser is some great work.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5yOO1kWMQQ/WXova6QHV0I/AAAAAAAADl0/yT1hjrACExUwyu-i8ouhoVZRH_11X2pzACLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-07-27-13h18m37s517.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m5yOO1kWMQQ/WXova6QHV0I/AAAAAAAADl0/yT1hjrACExUwyu-i8ouhoVZRH_11X2pzACLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-07-27-13h18m37s517.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">The other face of evil.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Lucky</i> looks extremely low budget, with a dark grainy picture and some very limited location work. Director Cudden makes the most of Millard’s dingy cluttered house. The place feels cramped and disgusting, and it never allows either Millard or the viewer to relax. The small amount of special effects in the film work well, going hand-in-hand with the griminess of the production. Sydney (the dog who played Lucky) isn’t required much to do beyond stare at Millard, but even that can be a challenge for some animal actors. Sydney never gives the appearance of being anything more than a normal dog, which goes well in forcing the viewer to ask what is real and what is Millard’s delusion.<br /><br /><i>Lucky</i> is very strange film, its angry, silly, morose, and vile. It has just enough absurd humor to keep it from becoming too alienating (well, to a point). There isn’t a very deep plot to be found. Millard is in a bad place when meet him and he’s even worse off by the end. If you feel like watching the slow disintegration of man via&nbsp; a talking dog, <i>Lucky</i> is the film for you.*<br /><br />*<a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2014/04/a-magic-puppya-talking-ponyan-easter.html"><i>A Magic Puppy</i></a> may also be the film for you.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-19064172822452000112017-07-20T13:25:00.000-05:002017-08-23T18:02:38.277-05:00Monster Dog<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYwmz1YheO4/WXD0Cj2LbEI/AAAAAAAADlM/PuIMyx2RW6QprB8kl1pLUdKx9vWpLai6wCLcBGAs/s1600/Monster-Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="156" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rYwmz1YheO4/WXD0Cj2LbEI/AAAAAAAADlM/PuIMyx2RW6QprB8kl1pLUdKx9vWpLai6wCLcBGAs/s1600/Monster-Dog.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087616/">Monster Dog</a><br />1984<br />Claudio Fragasso<br /><br />Vincent Raven (Alice Cooper) is taking has band back to his ancestral home to film a new music video. His family isn’t a popular one, since his dad was allegedly a werewolf and local suspicion runs rampant that Vincent will is one too. Vincent starts to have odd visions, and all the while local dogs are becoming aggressive pack hunters.<br /><br /><i>Monster Dog</i> is basically a traditional werewolf film, and a traditional werewolf is film is often a mystery about the identity of the monster. <i>Monster Dog</i> is not different in this respect; the viewer is led to believe that Vincent Dawn will become a fanged master of all the local mutts, but is he really the one killing people? The movie does manage to string this question along for most of its running time and it even offers a solution that almost makes sense. So what went wrong?<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfO67Lfky60/WXD0HtwlWdI/AAAAAAAADlQ/dRjSlNFRvP07wg46UCDGAv5iRX1lPbWSQCLcBGAs/s1600/Monster%2BDog%2B01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="758" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cfO67Lfky60/WXD0HtwlWdI/AAAAAAAADlQ/dRjSlNFRvP07wg46UCDGAv5iRX1lPbWSQCLcBGAs/s320/Monster%2BDog%2B01.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Maybe he just needs some eye drops?</span></td></tr></tbody></table>I think it comes down to a couple things, firstly this is directed by Claudio Fragasso, the man who gave us the unhinged not-so-classic <i>Troll 2</i> (1990), so no need to worry about logic or story. Many Italian genre films of this period eschew logic for tone, leaving the movie one of two options, keep the story simple (<i>Demons</i> 1985), or jump into a convoluted twisting mystery where the solution makes no more sense than the question (i.e. most giallos). <i>Monster Dog</i> goes for a moody and weird tone, but also tries to create a tangled, ‘who’s really a werewolf?’ story and ends up just being confusing.<br /><br />The second issue, and arguably a much larger one for some people, is the fact that Alice Cooper’s entire dialog has been dubbed over by another actor. The film was originally intended for a Spanish audience and Alice’s original vocal track was dubbed over in Spanish. They probably had no money to get Mr. Cooper back in the studio for a redub.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2iAzBjehzDQ/WXD0QR6zz4I/AAAAAAAADlU/5opOhvyuhbE3GlSJlB2s_lsTB5TTC-ECgCLcBGAs/s1600/Monster%2BDog%2B02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="956" height="191" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2iAzBjehzDQ/WXD0QR6zz4I/AAAAAAAADlU/5opOhvyuhbE3GlSJlB2s_lsTB5TTC-ECgCLcBGAs/s320/Monster%2BDog%2B02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Yay, it's almost over!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>The movie opens with a music video by Vincent Raven that is quite terrible. The song’s title is ‘Identity Crisis’ which I guess is clever, but perhaps too on the nose. The score aims for the epic synth horror sound of Goblin but falls very short. You can’t just throw a bass guitar, and some choir sounding synthesizers together and expect magic to happen.<br /><br /><i>Monster Dog</i> isn’t a total loss. I think the actual monster is a unique design that leans away from the a more wolf-like appearance into something stranger. The actual prop is a little stiff, but it works on screen just fine. I also like the fact that the creature can exert control over the local dog population. It is an interesting take on the mythos. The movie doesn’t skimp on the blood and gore, offering plenty of messy attacks. That is one place Fragasso rarely dissapoints.<br /><br /><i>Monster Dog</i> never touches the off-the-wall heights or the sub-basement lows of <i>Troll 2</i>, (I'll just throw in a random plug for my favorite Fragasso related film right here: <a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2013/09/terminator-ii-shocking-dark.html">Terminator II: Shocking Dark</a> (1989), but it does manage to entertain the viewer with the barest competence. I will promise you that will never see another werewolf movie like it.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-18379295088039012022017-07-14T09:55:00.002-05:002017-07-14T09:55:49.522-05:00Moonwolf<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YBXV1M3FqKk/WWfRYSIGy1I/AAAAAAAADkE/-2RXrJUXS8clGM07wSYdn0xykpD_EjedACLcBGAs/s1600/Moonwolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YBXV1M3FqKk/WWfRYSIGy1I/AAAAAAAADkE/-2RXrJUXS8clGM07wSYdn0xykpD_EjedACLcBGAs/s1600/Moonwolf.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053470/">Moonwolf</a><br />1959<br />George Friedland<br /><br />Wolf is a dog who has been sent into space as part of a rocket test. He was rescued as a pup by one Dr. Peter Holmes (Carl Möhner). Dr. Holmes keeps losing and being reconnected with his dog, and now finds himself once again venturing out to be reunited. Only this time he’s about to run in to someone from his past who is not happy to see him.<br /><br />There’s a certain joy to be found in getting oversold on a b-movie. Posters and trailers announce that you will witness the most horrifying monster of all time, you will be so sacred that you will need to sign a waiver before you enter the theater, or HEROIC ASTRO-DOG IN OUTER SPACE. It might burn you a little the first few times, but eventually you come to adore the bravado with which these films put forth their usually cheap wares. The flip-side to this is a poster or trailer that deliberately misrepresents itself. Occasionally, this can be an artful way to catch an audience off guard; more often than not, it’s just a means to get some butts in the seats before they know what’s gone wrong.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NS-hzTZzsIQ/WWfRi3RGEdI/AAAAAAAADkI/ANyRzS7cQwwSWkp2YPetMqZM7jSlMDZVwCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-07-13-14h59m07s278.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="704" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NS-hzTZzsIQ/WWfRi3RGEdI/AAAAAAAADkI/ANyRzS7cQwwSWkp2YPetMqZM7jSlMDZVwCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-07-13-14h59m07s278.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Look, it's a completely legitimate choice for a hat..."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>I’m not sure what <i>Moonwolf</i> was trying to accomplish by positioning itself as a ‘dog in space’ movie. Technically, yes, there is a dog, and yes, it does go to space, but all of that happens off screen. The dog never lands on the moon. It never has a moon adventure in its little doggy space suit. Nothing. This film is only science fiction in the sense that the U.S. had not put any dogs into space in 1959 (the Russians had launched plenty at this point).<br /><br /><i>Moonwolf</i> is actually a tepid romance story that is preceded by a tepid nature documentary of sorts. The whole thing starts out promisingly enough with Wolf being prepared for his journey into space. Once all of that is out of the way (with prerequisite stock footage of a rocket launch), we turn to Wolf’s owner, Dr. Peter Holmes reminiscing about finding Wolf as a lost puppy in the forest. He rescues the dog, loses it, and finds it again. 1950s space exploration movies aren’t without their filler (strangely enough it often comes in the form of dance sequences),&nbsp; and at this point in the film I figured this was just the story killing time until we get to see what Wolf is up to in space.<br /><br />Nope.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zf31rNcDcQE/WWfRi5WT-7I/AAAAAAAADkQ/pLldLv8M23AfAqqaq8Rjs_Rk-UA2O24EwCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-07-13-14h57m42s063.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="704" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zf31rNcDcQE/WWfRi5WT-7I/AAAAAAAADkQ/pLldLv8M23AfAqqaq8Rjs_Rk-UA2O24EwCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-07-13-14h57m42s063.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Wolf just ate all the pieces out of the Operation game."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Instead, we jump in time to Wolf having already landed somewhere in Finland, and Dr. Homes heading out to rescue him. Is it wilderness adventure time at least? Sorry, no. Rather we are backed into an uninteresting love triangle that resolves itself just in time for about a minute of Wolf being released from his space capsule.<br /><br />&nbsp;Even going in with the full knowledge that <i>Moonwolf</i> isn’t really about a moon, or a wolf, much less both at the same time, it’s a dull disappointment.&nbsp; When I first heard of the title I wondered why it wasn’t more well known, but after sitting through all 83 minutes, I know exactly why.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-46785432003445628962017-07-07T10:15:00.000-05:002017-07-12T15:26:13.653-05:00Devil Dog: Hound of Hell<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J0-GerL16Fs/WVvF5x1rzlI/AAAAAAAADQI/EdX90-G-Wss7wN4YzL3Nt-exT1XhkqzCgCLcBGAs/s1600/devil-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="185" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J0-GerL16Fs/WVvF5x1rzlI/AAAAAAAADQI/EdX90-G-Wss7wN4YzL3Nt-exT1XhkqzCgCLcBGAs/s1600/devil-dog.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077429/">Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell</a><br />1978<br />Curtis Harrington<br /><br />The Barry family replace their formerly living pet with a new dog. They make the worse possible choice when they pick up a German Shepard puppy from some people who aren’t Satanic cultists, and totally didn’t just sell them an evil possessed dog. Once the dog is brought in the house, strange accidents began to happen, and soon enough, Mike Barry (Richard Crenna) suspects his new pet is a force of evil. While he flies off to Ecuador to confirm his suspicions, his family is slowly being transformed into a coven of devil worshipers.<br /><br />What makes <i>Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell</i> interesting is that it isn’t just a collection of supernatural dog attacks, but instead, the title monster exists to undermine the family from&nbsp; within. I’m sure this choice came about due to the budgetary and content restrictions imposed on the production as a television movie. It elevates the devil dog from just being another hungry <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>monster to something truly evil, and it helps alleviate some of the inherent silliness of a Satanic cult of puppy sellers. You can also attribute some of this more intelligent approach to the popularity of<i> The Exorcist</i> (1973), and a rise of interest in the occult in popular culture.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCdAIpPIPfs/WVvGTXYZzXI/AAAAAAAADQU/4llMsF8jBU8gmvviDQWdO9BW-smbetg4gCLcBGAs/s1600/devil%2Bdog%2B01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1433" height="241" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCdAIpPIPfs/WVvGTXYZzXI/AAAAAAAADQU/4llMsF8jBU8gmvviDQWdO9BW-smbetg4gCLcBGAs/s320/devil%2Bdog%2B01.jpg" width="320" /><i></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;"><i>"Aww ma, we want to go do evil..."</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Devil Dog</i> still has it’s share of pulpy pleasures, especially during the finale, when Mike Barry faces off against his pet in it’s true form: a giant horned Rottweiler complete with a lizard frill. The closest the film ever comes to outright visceral horror is a scene of the devil dog trying to influence Mike to put his hand into the spinning blade of a lawn mower. Even with the knowledge that this a TV movie and it probably isn’t going to go as far as it could, it still adds a little excitement to the proceedings.<br /><br />Iit isn’t the most dynamic looking film, but Shriek Show’s Blu-ray shows off a crisp image. There aren’t a vast number of special effects, aside from a few moments of glowing eyes, and the devil dog’s monstrous form which isn’t wholly successful, but it works better than you would expect. The lo-fi quality of the effects give those last few moments a surreal edge that work in its favor.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PpDEZKtIYbQ/WVvF51p1GCI/AAAAAAAADQM/RycyWAu4gh04Et98lYfyKGdIbRu53xITgCLcBGAs/s1600/Devil%2BDog%2B02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="445" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PpDEZKtIYbQ/WVvF51p1GCI/AAAAAAAADQM/RycyWAu4gh04Et98lYfyKGdIbRu53xITgCLcBGAs/s320/Devil%2BDog%2B02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Ok, who mentioned going for a walk?</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Richard Crenna and Yvette Mimieux are reliable actors and they sell their plight well. Its always dicey when younger actors are in the mix, but Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards are fine in their roles, if never especially engaging, this might be due to the fact that they are supposed to be acting strangely thanks to the influence of the dog, but it’s difficult to say.<br /><br /><i>Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell</i> is a clever little film that tackles a pretty silly premise and manages to extract something decent despite some (or maybe due to its) limitations. A lot of it seems very quaint now, but I could imagine this being a good nightmare inducing ninety minutes (plus commercials) for someone sitting down in 1978 to find out exactly what the heck a devil dog is supposed to be.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-10135603081808800322017-06-28T15:43:00.000-05:002017-07-12T15:25:43.739-05:00Dracula's Dog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KGSsWG15us/WVUNz7_51zI/AAAAAAAACrs/kpzOs7hKHIYErnIUP_ZqpEctbJRaPwj3wCLcBGAs/s1600/Draculas-Dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="131" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7KGSsWG15us/WVUNz7_51zI/AAAAAAAACrs/kpzOs7hKHIYErnIUP_ZqpEctbJRaPwj3wCLcBGAs/s1600/Draculas-Dog.jpg" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077470/" target="_blank">Dracula’s Dog</a> (aka Zoltan… Hound of Dracula)<br />1978<br />Albert Band<br /><br />In Russia, a labor crew is blowing stuff up for a new road when they discover a crypt. Worried that someone will loot the newfound treasures, they post a guard. Sadly, the guard is someone dumb enough to pull a wooden stake out of a dog he finds inside a coffin. Zoltan, the hound of Dracula, rises, bites the guy's neck and resurrects Dracula’s servant, Igor. The two head off to the U.S.A. to track down Dracula’s descendant with the goal of turning him into a vampire and bringing the bloodline back to unlife.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ4Jiegb_6Q/WVUNz89oqLI/AAAAAAAACro/Y9mbiz1u2SYYXp5YJ9VjWGdygxL_RsdcgCLcBGAs/s1600/Draculas%2BDog%2B03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="608" height="193" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ4Jiegb_6Q/WVUNz89oqLI/AAAAAAAACro/Y9mbiz1u2SYYXp5YJ9VjWGdygxL_RsdcgCLcBGAs/s320/Draculas%2BDog%2B03.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">Igor finds out that Zoltan left him a little surprise in his coffin.</span></td></tr></tbody></table>For such a silly concept, <i>Dracula’s Dog</i> tries to deliver on some of its promise. The combination of Zoltan’s lean almost skeletal body, the unusual lighting of his eyes, and his performance on screen go a long way to selling him as an actual threat to the other characters. When everything is working, he’s a silent, seemingly intelligent monster.&nbsp; However, whether it was matter of budget or time, there isn’t much for him to do.&nbsp; He skulks around biting the occasional person, and raises an army of three whole other vampire dogs. It feels underwhelming.<br /><br />Zoltan’s target is one, Michael Drake (Michael Pataki), a boring psychiatrist with a boring family who go out on a boring camping trip. If we were not told he was a descendant of Dracula, then there would be nothing remarkable or engaging about him. This also brings up a plot hole: Zoltan needs to bite Drake in hopes of bringing the vampiric bloodline of Dracula back from the grave. His children, technically also descendants of Dracula, seem like they are much easier targets, but Zoltan never bothers with them. So either, they aren’t blood related to Drake (which is never brought up), or Zoltan is just a dumb dog.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3902fqt6aA/WVUNz9RZVMI/AAAAAAAACrw/ZMbGrAoOx04AeG7v6WoKCYAKorZ28NffgCLcBGAs/s1600/Draculas%2BDog%2B02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="594" height="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3902fqt6aA/WVUNz9RZVMI/AAAAAAAACrw/ZMbGrAoOx04AeG7v6WoKCYAKorZ28NffgCLcBGAs/s320/Draculas%2BDog%2B02.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Ooh, here come's Dracula's Mailman!"</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Aside from a little blood sucking, D<i>racula’s Dog</i> has little to offer in the special effects department. Kudos to the film for going so far as having Zoltan bite a puppy, but the end payoff is either the least scary idea ever put on film, or <i>Dracula’s Dog</i> finally acknowledging the goofiness of its entire concept. It may tip its hand a little earlier when we learn Zoltan’s origin, in which he is vindictively bitten by Dracula after foiling one of his kills. The image of a tiny adorable vampire bat biting a dog is hardly the kind of thing that instills fear in an audience.<br /><br />Could <i>Dracula’s Dog</i> actually have worked as a film? I suppose if the creative team had chosen to either embrace the inherent comedy or really pushed the horror of pets turned killers, it might have been at least interesting. What we are given though, is too middle of the road to inspire much beyond mild curiosity. <i>Dracula’s Dog</i> has very little bark or bite.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-33943043622632455292017-06-23T09:46:00.002-05:002017-06-28T16:16:45.068-05:00Dogs<br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SR6aKvgXjLU/WVP-wVjps9I/AAAAAAAACjk/239_f3vg_5AgKAxB6Cm2IWIEvqhrcYAvQCLcBGAs/s1600/dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SR6aKvgXjLU/WVP-wVjps9I/AAAAAAAACjk/239_f3vg_5AgKAxB6Cm2IWIEvqhrcYAvQCLcBGAs/s1600/dogs.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074419/" target="_blank">Dogs</a><br />1976<br />Burt Brinckerhoff<br /><br />A small California college town is seeing a rise in animal attacks. The aggressors are common domesticated dogs. When Dr. Harlan Thompson (David McCallum) isn’t hitting on his colleagues or getting in arguments with them, he’s trying to convince them that something is going desperately wrong with the local dog population. Of course, no one is listening and it’s up to Harlan to try and find some answers before the roving packs of dogs eat everyone in town.<br /><br />The wild success of <i>Jaws</i> (1975) created a flood of ‘nature runs amok’ films in the 1970s. Thanks to an ever-widening awareness of pollution in the U.S., films depicting humankind getting its comeuppance for meddling with the natural order of things was also perfect fodder for horror films. One of the best decisions (both financially and within the narrative) in <i>Dogs</i> is to make killers out of common everyday animals. The animals featured in the film aren’t monstrous sharks, or mutant bears, they are just a motley pack of various dog breeds. Good horror can take the commonplace and make it threatening.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WfexIrqTyY/WVP-wVrzwSI/AAAAAAAACjo/wdnChR9pHVcumPOjvQB_7UKtYrlnmJzUgCEwYBhgL/s1600/dogs002.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="179" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0WfexIrqTyY/WVP-wVrzwSI/AAAAAAAACjo/wdnChR9pHVcumPOjvQB_7UKtYrlnmJzUgCEwYBhgL/s320/dogs002.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"I don't know how to tell you this, but,</span><br /><span style="color: magenta;">you have the haircut of a seven year old."</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Going hand-in-hand with 1970s eco-horror is a very dim view of humanity. <i>Dogs</i> is no exception here, offering a toxic community of academics who are more interested in looking good and keeping the research money flowing in. Our lead, Harlan, is presented as a challenging faculty member unafraid to criticize his peers when he finds them wanting. He’s presented as the last ‘real’ intellectual in town, but more off than not, he just comes across as a big jerk. The rest of the cast is filled with characters either too dense or too blinded by hubris to take notice of the growing waves of dog attacks. <br /><br />One of the things I did appreciate about <i>Dogs</i>, was that the motivating force behind everything was left largely unexplained. The story offers us two explanations: a linear accelerator leaking radiation into the area, or something to do with pheromones. Professors explain both in some detail, but neither is singled out as the obvious culprit by the end of the movie. Just that small amount of ambiguity makes the story feel bigger than just watching twenty dogs chewing their way through a small college.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nj5Zn-ciWr4/WVP-wYQFrSI/AAAAAAAACjg/3Ivqpmg3Tc8G7LGQLtzRLkHTJM6VrBn-QCEwYBhgL/s1600/Dogs001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="480" height="178" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nj5Zn-ciWr4/WVP-wYQFrSI/AAAAAAAACjg/3Ivqpmg3Tc8G7LGQLtzRLkHTJM6VrBn-QCEwYBhgL/s320/Dogs001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;">"Just leave the treats and we can all walk away from this..."</span></td></tr></tbody></table>Unfortunately, <i>Dogs</i> takes too long getting the horror underway, and even when it is finally indulging in its premise, there is a distinct lack of energy. It does manage to present one or two tense moments, a shower attack, and a pack swarming the college library. Before these scenes, the viewer subjected to a significant amount of talking and arguing among less than interesting characters. At least the dogs in the movie get down to business.<br /><br /><i>Dogs</i> is a middle-of-the-road eco-horror film. It has decent production value, an interesting (if thin) premise, and acting that is solid if unassuming. If you’re in the mood for an animal attack movie to pass some time, this is a good, if never great, entry in that subgenre.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-67828252037430295092017-06-16T08:52:00.000-05:002017-06-28T14:11:57.218-05:00Twice Upon a Time<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1gy7iutBiw/WVP_QtEzL1I/AAAAAAAACjw/A6Llo4VZf3Mp60sRnyH_MpkUS8QBa5UggCLcBGAs/s1600/TUAT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="165" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1gy7iutBiw/WVP_QtEzL1I/AAAAAAAACjw/A6Llo4VZf3Mp60sRnyH_MpkUS8QBa5UggCLcBGAs/s1600/TUAT.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086489/" target="_blank">Twice Upon a Time</a><br />1983<br />John Korty, Charles Swenson<br /><br />In a black and white city lives a race of beings called the Rushers of Din (more commonly known as human beings). The Cosmic Clock is a device that stops the Rushers at night so they may sleep. During this time, the Figmen of Imagination deliver good dreams sent from Frivoli, while vultures deliver nightmares manufactured in the Murkworks. The head of the Murkworks, Synonamess Botch (Marshall Efron) looks to capture a spring from the Cosmic Clock and plunge the world into eternal nightmares. To do that, he needs to trick Ralph, the All-Purpose Animal (Lorezno Music) and Mumford, the non-Purpose Nothing into doing his bidding.<br /><br /><i>Twice Upon a Time</i> could be looked at as the end of a cycle of counter culture animation on the big screen. Throughout the 1970s with the rise of underground comix from a decade prior, several animated films were released in the US and marketed at college age adults. They contained psychedelic sequences, and often featured drugs and violence in their narratives. This was something that was shocking to see in a ‘cartoon’ in the US. Later these films would fall by the wayside as Japanese anime grew more accessible, and the drug culture turned away from psychoactive substances and towards stimulants in the 1980s.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1kqLPCcy7KY/WVP_Q-uhsdI/AAAAAAAACj4/4mb9ujAQ5IYBOn5R9yoJBtoJd0C0Z8-PgCEwYBhgL/s1600/TUAT%2Bvulture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1kqLPCcy7KY/WVP_Q-uhsdI/AAAAAAAACj4/4mb9ujAQ5IYBOn5R9yoJBtoJd0C0Z8-PgCEwYBhgL/s320/TUAT%2Bvulture.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, at the White House... </td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"></div><i>Twice Upon a Time</i> exists in two versions, one with some mild cursing and the other without. There are also rumors of slightly different edits that may or may not exist, mostly fueled by the film being difficult to find for a couple decades after its release. These versions highlight the inner struggle for this movie as it tries to decide what it wants to be. It is a whimsical kid’s movie or is it a subversive comedy? A story doesn’t necessarily need to conform itself to expectations of an audience, but often it feels like <i>Twice Upon a Time</i> can’t quite make up its mind on a direction.<br /><br />The animation is composed of a mix of traditional drawing and paper-cut outs, often mixing in some live action sequences and stills. There is a wonderful jumbled aesthetic to the film, but it also retains a distinct feeling whether in Frivoli, the Murkworks, or Din. The standout sequence in the film centers around a nightmare bomb detonating inside an office building, turning commonplace objects like desk lamps and staple removers into monsters. The whole moment is animated against images in negative; it is weird and scary in best way possible.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_J10xV-lzE/WVP_QpBgdJI/AAAAAAAACj0/_jcmCRmieysmmxNqHUkmmK7n7gaBy_a8wCEwYBhgL/s1600/TUAT%2Bsalami.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1200" height="154" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_J10xV-lzE/WVP_QpBgdJI/AAAAAAAACj0/_jcmCRmieysmmxNqHUkmmK7n7gaBy_a8wCEwYBhgL/s320/TUAT%2Bsalami.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meanwhile, at the Vatican...</td></tr></tbody></table>The voice acting through the entire cast. The dialog is largely improvised. There are a number of clever asides and moments. Synonamess Botch gets all the best lines, but everyone gets some amusing moments. There are also a few montages set to mid-tier rock music, the sort of thing that died out some time in late 1980s. You may or may not enjoy these interludes depending on your need for the real underbelly of 1980s nostalgia.<br /><br /><i>Twice Upon a Time</i> is a unique piece of film, it's funny, strange, and forges its own odd aesthetic. The story shows a breadth of imagination that is impressive, and the fact it managed to exist and not be based on an established property, or a fast food tie-in promotion is even more encouraging.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-74642493257533621082017-06-09T09:53:00.004-05:002017-06-28T16:16:15.936-05:00The Eye Creatures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><br /><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZgben0i9g0/WVP_odEL4tI/AAAAAAAACkA/AHBKpc0ZMS81jsq1PxPqTgxFv4plo1bMACLcBGAs/s1600/Eye-Creatures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="146" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tZgben0i9g0/WVP_odEL4tI/AAAAAAAACkA/AHBKpc0ZMS81jsq1PxPqTgxFv4plo1bMACLcBGAs/s1600/Eye-Creatures.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059161/" target="_blank">The Eye Creatures</a> (aka Attack of the Eye Creatures aka Attack of the the Eye Creatures )<br /><div class="MsoNormal">1965<br />Larry Buchanan</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />After the long introduction in which the military explains that they have been tracking a UFO that will land in the central United States, we meet some local teens who have a habit of trespassing on an old man’s land to go make out in the woods. A flying saucer lands nearby, disgusting green humanoid lumps spill out of it and wander around the place. A couple of drifters looking to score some women or some money (preferably both) get caught up in the whole mess. Eye Creatures stumble around. People stumble around. There is death and eventually it ends. Thank goodness.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Like <i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2017/06/zontar-thing-from-venus.html" target="_blank">Zontar, Thing from Venus</a> </i>(1966), <i>The Eye Creatures</i> is a Larry Buchanan helmed color remake of an earlier SF film for American International Pictures. In this case, the victim is <i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2014/08/invasion-of-saucer-men.html" target="_blank">Invasion of the Saucer Men</a></i> (1958). <i>The Eye Creatures </i>is a remake of a film that is an out and out comedy, but renders it into a tonal mess. There are moments that are supposed to resemble actual humor, but they fall flat, if they manage to make any sense at all. The military is portrayed as bungling perverts, which is fine, except that at no point does that subplot intersect or affect the main story in any fashion. It is merely the place to dump obvious jokes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuN5E821BWY/WVP_oWWBiEI/AAAAAAAACj8/IdOhsqYSG7w-auCe-jCnoJq85MJVgiW1wCEwYBhgL/s1600/eye%2Bc2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="450" height="209" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XuN5E821BWY/WVP_oWWBiEI/AAAAAAAACj8/IdOhsqYSG7w-auCe-jCnoJq85MJVgiW1wCEwYBhgL/s320/eye%2Bc2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel like they escaped from the set of <i>Eegah!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>To be fair, a scene of soldiers accidentally blowing up the alien ship and congratulating themselves on defending the Earth is probably the best moment in the whole film. I understand that the story had to stick somewhat to the plot of <i>Invasion of the Saucer People</i>, but it is too bad that it couldn’t strive for a more arch satire of the military and SF films of the 1950s. There’s also a very casual Vietnam draft joke in the early section of the movie that comes across as awkward in the wake of that war.<br /><br />The cast is thoroughly unappealing; from yet another bland leading man (John Ashley), a female lead who is supposed to be ditzy, but just ends up being aggravating (Cynthia Hull), to the whole remaining cast of characters who are supposed to be irreverent, but just come across of smug. Once you are into the film you will be begging to spend screen time with the blissfully silent Eye Creatures.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBPoax2WB-Y/WVP_ofYZESI/AAAAAAAACkE/FPlXI2AfcNAnI7tNXyGTC9uVDRLY0tftACEwYBhgL/s1600/eye%2Bc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WBPoax2WB-Y/WVP_ofYZESI/AAAAAAAACkE/FPlXI2AfcNAnI7tNXyGTC9uVDRLY0tftACEwYBhgL/s320/eye%2Bc3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Oh, eye don't know..."</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">How does it look? Well, it’s a low budget made for TV movie, so pretty terrible. Everything is flat and murky. There are nighttime scenes so under lit, that it is almost impossible to see what is happening. The Eye Creatures lack any of the charm of the big headed aliens of <i>Invasion of the Saucer People</i>, instead looking like lumpy green walking turd-men. For things called Eye Creatures, their eyes are little more than a few black glassy dots scattered around their bodies. They stumble around with no personality, no purpose, and exist only to lazily menace horny teenagers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>The Eye Creatures </i>exists as a document to just how thoroughly a movie can fail even when set against the lowest of expectations, such as being a cheap television remake of relatively obscure low-budget science-fiction comedy made eight years prior.&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cc/Crawling_Eye_film_poster.jpg/220px-Crawling_Eye_film_poster.jpg" target="_blank">(Also, don't steal your poster from better movies)</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-46327124631564399142017-06-02T10:08:00.000-05:002017-06-28T16:14:42.592-05:00Zontar, the Thing from Venus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G93xUUYMmRs/WVQAD89CVoI/AAAAAAAACkI/RpMoy9j-z1o-iZTmBJd0z4HzEimwqMPcACLcBGAs/s1600/Zontar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="174" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G93xUUYMmRs/WVQAD89CVoI/AAAAAAAACkI/RpMoy9j-z1o-iZTmBJd0z4HzEimwqMPcACLcBGAs/s1600/Zontar.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061217/" target="_blank">Zontar, the Thing from Venus</a><br />1966<br />Larry Buchanan<br /><br />A missing NASA satellite is the first sign that something is not right. NASA engineer, Dr. Keith Ritchie (Tony Huston) reveals to his best friend, Dr. Curt Taylor (John Agar) that he has been in communication with a being called Zontar who, as chance would have it, is a thing from Venus. Zontar is on his way to Earth. Is he here to help us or enslave us? The answer becomes pretty clear when all electronics stop working, and mind-controlling devil-bats start flying over the town.<br /><br />In the 1960s, American International Pictures tasked Larry Buchanan with remaking several of their older films in color and creating a few original titles, all for the TV-movie market. The result was eight films that were all terrible, but eerily watchable in a ‘slogging through a brown nightmare’ kind of way. <i>Zontar, the Thing from Venus</i> isn’t even close to being the worst of the lot, but it is still tough going for many movie viewers.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1dEjKCdZWOU/WVQCSeGvtFI/AAAAAAAACkY/wLKIhrSldjwQAXAfFaJGPB4ZnO53kNOxQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-06-01-10h05m27s169.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="456" height="252" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1dEjKCdZWOU/WVQCSeGvtFI/AAAAAAAACkY/wLKIhrSldjwQAXAfFaJGPB4ZnO53kNOxQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-06-01-10h05m27s169.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sorry fellas, my area is restricted."</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"></div><i>Zontar </i>is a virtually moment-by-moment recreation of Roger Corman’s, <a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2014/07/it-conquered-world.html" target="_blank"><i>It Conquered the World</i></a> (1956). In this case swapping out Peter Graves for John Agar and the smooth evil of Lee Van Cleef for Tony Huston... so right there <i>Zontar</i> is at a big disadvantage. However, it is interesting to note that Buchanan isn’t blindly remaking Corman’s film. His script makes some small tweaks to the original’s story that aren’t exactly improvements, (Zontar can create mind-controlling injectapods every few hours as opposed to days thereby upping the threat, and the final confrontation utilizes a laser rather than a close-range blow torch), but they do pull the story together ever so slightly tighter.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSeY9WpgxTo/WVQCScfuFRI/AAAAAAAACkc/sEuZZi4dmUsclalPrLkvuwp4uW2ygXFKQCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-06-01-09h58m36s639.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="456" height="252" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TSeY9WpgxTo/WVQCScfuFRI/AAAAAAAACkc/sEuZZi4dmUsclalPrLkvuwp4uW2ygXFKQCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-06-01-09h58m36s639.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zontar was notoriously drunk on set.</td></tr></tbody></table>One place where <i>Zontar</i> does manage to improve is in its monster. The mutant traffic cone that makes a bid for the Earth has always been the downfall of <i>It Conquered the World</i>, even though there is an attempt to give reason for its goofy looking body, it is still ridiculous enough completely undermine all the dramatic build-up that has happened prior. Zontar, on the other hand, is a greasy looking green bat monster with multiple eyes. Far less imaginative than his forebearer, but coupled with the muddy brown visuals of the rest of the movie, it works.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />What doesn’t work is the rest of the movie. Every scene is shot in the flattest, least interesting way possible. The lighting, the colors, the costume choices, the entire look of the movie is dull and murky. John Agar is the best actor in the production, but there isn’t much competition. The whole production feels like it was made exclusively to fill-up 90 minutes of television so that the station could show some commercials… which is precisely what it was meant to be.<br /><br />Despite all of its flaws, I occasionally come back to this movie. The combination of cheap sets, flat acting, and the overall grubby look of it, accurately recreates the feeling of being home with a high fever, laying on couch and half comprehending what is happening on the TV.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-89759522747727533282017-05-26T09:22:00.004-05:002017-06-28T14:27:25.902-05:00The Brain Eaters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgIFSrCi12A/WVQCzZcYPLI/AAAAAAAACkk/r83IecvbMn0KWqDPnDZKB2c7Qec1T9UewCLcBGAs/s1600/brain-eaters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="161" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PgIFSrCi12A/WVQCzZcYPLI/AAAAAAAACkk/r83IecvbMn0KWqDPnDZKB2c7Qec1T9UewCLcBGAs/s1600/brain-eaters.jpg" /></a> <br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051432/" target="_blank">The Brain Eaters</a><br />1958<br />Bruno VeSota<br /><br />A mysterious cone has beenn spotted in the woods outside Riverdale, Illinois. Its appearance coincides with several local murders. The town’s mayor has been missing, but when he reappears; he acts strangely aggressive and pulls a gun on investigators. He’s shot and killed by a deputy. On his neck is an unusual lump. It seems that the mayor and an untold number of other people have a come under the sway of inhuman creatures. Dr. Paul Kettering (Ed Nelson) and Glen Cameron (Alan Jay Factor) must unravel the secret of the invaders.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aP8AVujN-5U/WVQCztILofI/AAAAAAAACks/n3BmFE50mRQhNsj9PDeoZ2ILYFmNPE3WQCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-05-25-13h22m58s157.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="640" height="241" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aP8AVujN-5U/WVQCztILofI/AAAAAAAACks/n3BmFE50mRQhNsj9PDeoZ2ILYFmNPE3WQCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-05-25-13h22m58s157.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"For the last time, I'm not Tor Johnson!"</td></tr></tbody></table>It’s been well established that fear of being suborned from within was a major anxiety of the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Whether this was due to the Communist menace, wild teenagers, or the frantic pace that technology was beginning to affect the lives of people, the world always seemed on the verge of collapsing under threats unseen. So, it’s really no surprise that much of the horror and SF genre was obsessed with a threat already among us. The most famous film of this period is probably <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> (1956), one of my favorites in this subgenre is the complete strangeness and downer ending of <i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2015/01/the-day-mars-invaded-earth.html" target="_blank">The Day Mars Invaded Earth</a></i> (1963).<br /><br /><i>The Brain Eaters</i> is a potboiler take on the idea of aliens possessing humans; it was notoriously similar enough to the plot of Robert Heinlein’s <i>The Puppet Masters</i> novel, that producer Roger Corman settled out of court with Heinlein over a charge of plagiarism. Corman claimed that he had never read the novel, but admitted the ideas were very similar. Both involve small creatures that attach themselves to humans in order to control them. The main difference being <i>The Brain Eaters</i> is much smaller in scope by virtue of its budget.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-25yiuuxb4j4/WVQCzkJXthI/AAAAAAAACko/m4xKQ_AURdUbltFUHzU75LnjAYD4I-ikACEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-05-25-13h22m33s235.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="640" height="241" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-25yiuuxb4j4/WVQCzkJXthI/AAAAAAAACko/m4xKQ_AURdUbltFUHzU75LnjAYD4I-ikACEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-05-25-13h22m33s235.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You vape, bro?"</td></tr></tbody></table>The film is only an hour long and this works in its favor. The story sets up its plot hook quickly, a mysterious death and an even more mysterious giant metal cone in the woods. There isn’t time to build on slowly crawling paranoia like <i>Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i>, so instead <i>The Brain Eaters</i> opts for flurries of action and violence. The brisk pace keeps the characters from having much time to catch their breath, and the audience from pondering the point of the aliens’ invasion scheme too closely.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The fact that this film was made for $26,000 (or about $200,000 in today’s money) left little money for special effects. The aliens are little more than white maggoty things, the bodily damage they cause and the interior of their transportation is often described more than shown. Near the end, the interior of the cone is flooded with so much fog, that it is virtually impossible to see what is going on. This is doubly disappointing because it features an early appearance by Leonard Nimoy in some old age make-up.<br /><br />Short and sweet, <i>The Brain Eaters</i> is a decent enough entry in the 1950s invaders subgenre to entertain but little else. It offers few surprises, and it probably won’t leave much of an impression on you after the finale... unlike the mutant slug currently on your neck. Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-19360440104851234642017-05-19T08:54:00.002-05:002017-06-28T16:18:35.757-05:00Fiend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdHSCwuJF64/WVQEQPupAtI/AAAAAAAAClA/tQMz-humFL4pCROP93DAKIdBl0AT5cfYACLcBGAs/s1600/fiend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hdHSCwuJF64/WVQEQPupAtI/AAAAAAAAClA/tQMz-humFL4pCROP93DAKIdBl0AT5cfYACLcBGAs/s1600/fiend.jpg" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080730/" target="_blank">Fiend</a><br />Don Dohler<br />1980<br /><br />A flappy red blob-thing floats over a cemetery before deciding on a grave to inhabit. The creature that rises from the dead is part man, part monster, part music teacher, and all Eric Longfellow (Don Leifert). Longfellow moves in to a quiet suburban neighborhood with his cat, Dorian. He establishes himself with a music teaching business. He also has a side job as a monster that has to strangle the life from people in order to keep up his human appearance. The bodies start to pile up, and one beer swilling, violin hating, next-door neighbor begins to suspect that Longfellow is not what he seems.<br /><br />What separates <i>Fiend</i> from many low budget horror films is how it carves out little moments that create feelings of strange dread. Longfellow does not just arrive in the neighborhood, a looming thunderstorm that sends all the local kids scurrying for cover precedes him. Longfellow engages in habits that are supposed to convince others that he is human, but they are off, from his dank unfinished basement dwelling, his aimless windshield cleaning, and even the casual cruelty with which he runs his music school. Longfellow is an interesting monster, a pompous academic who looks down on his blue-collar neighbor by day, and a strangulating monster also by day.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L_PtcbJIjPs/WVQEJYZdSWI/AAAAAAAACk8/YeyA0NhA_2kmcRF07RVnjWw1qhP6WWogQCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-05-18-13h05m35s473.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="480" height="256" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L_PtcbJIjPs/WVQEJYZdSWI/AAAAAAAACk8/YeyA0NhA_2kmcRF07RVnjWw1qhP6WWogQCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-05-18-13h05m35s473.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even monsters like kitty cats though.</td></tr></tbody></table>Don Dohler’s early musical scores are filled with wonderful atonal synthesizer sounds that really set an off kilter mood. For a film that is nominally set around a music teacher, <i>Fiend</i> is startlingly uninterested in traditional music. This mirrors its protagonist, who only marginally engages with petty human concerns. If this was a deliberate choice on Dohler’s part, it is very clever and understated.<br /><br /><i>Fiend</i> offers no gore, and most of the violence is from lengthy strangulation scenes. Dohler relies more on weird menace as opposed to visuals, which is opposite of many of his early films that offer ambitious, yet low budget special effects extravaganzas. Don Leifert’s make-up when Longfellow transforms into his ghoulish self is messy, gross, and very effective. When he’s off strangling victims, he’s often surrounded by a red glow. Aside from the weird flying blob monster that opens and closes the movie, that is it for special effects.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ciVxA95Wp7w/WVQEJW3h5ZI/AAAAAAAACk4/ARBJ5YcwE2kqanSMBZhQO-T3ARcY110ugCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-05-18-13h05m02s632.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="480" height="256" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ciVxA95Wp7w/WVQEJW3h5ZI/AAAAAAAACk4/ARBJ5YcwE2kqanSMBZhQO-T3ARcY110ugCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-05-18-13h05m02s632.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Funny meeting you in this neck of the woods. <br />Ha! Get it? Hey, I'm talking to you."</td></tr></tbody></table>The cast has a few of director Dohler’s regulars, Leifert seems like he’s often playing pompous blowhards, and Longfellow is no exception. George Stover, also a Dohler veteran, plays the nebbish Dennis. Stover is typecast in Dohler’s movies as the whiny guy who gets killed, but I have to admit, he does that kind of role very well. No one is going to take any acting awards home in this movie, but everyone acquits themselves enough to not distract. <br /><br />I love the work of Don Dohler, especially his output from the late 1970s to early 1980s. <i>Fiend</i> is my favorite of these movies, simply because it oozes with dread and makes the most use out of its seemingly benign urban setting. It is a quiet story and a slow one too, but it also made with a lot of love and attention.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-5662382770768102112017-05-12T09:16:00.001-05:002017-06-28T14:47:53.710-05:00The Monster of Camp Sunshine<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAKGDZrgrSs/WVQHjuakmpI/AAAAAAAAClQ/et9s_n3VOOko5ATqtTvz9K0LZltOcU-fwCLcBGAs/s1600/monster-of-camp-sunshine_zpsysivvl2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAKGDZrgrSs/WVQHjuakmpI/AAAAAAAAClQ/et9s_n3VOOko5ATqtTvz9K0LZltOcU-fwCLcBGAs/s1600/monster-of-camp-sunshine_zpsysivvl2x.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126456/">Monster of Camp Sunshine (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Nature)</a><br />1964<br />Ferenc Leroget<br /><br />A couple of roommates; one works in a laboratory, the other a model, like to spend their time at the clothing optional Camp Sunshine. Some lab work follows these women home in the most roundabout way imaginable, and the camp’s groundskeeper Hugo (Harrison Pebbles (almost certainly not his real name)) becomes a murderous would-be killer on the rampage. The operative word being 'would-be.'<br /><br />Thanks to independent movie producers and relaxing attitudes towards nudity on the screen, the end of the 1950s into the 1960s saw the rise of ‘nudie’ films. Filmmakers outside the studio system could show more explicit material than their studio-bound counterparts. The only real obstacle was usually in the form of a theater's local obscenity laws. Therefore, setting a film in a nudist camp, and making it ostensibly about the benefits of naturalism, seems like the perfect solution to show naked humans and not suffer arrest in the process. Heck, throw in a monster too. Why not? What could go wrong?<br /><br />Plenty could go wrong, apparently.<br /><br />The monster plot line is the wrench in the works of this film. Without it, this would be just another thinly veiled exploitation movie about nudism. Introduce a character who is resistant to taking off her clothes, she goes to the camp, loves it, roll credits. <i>Monster of Camp Sunshine</i> mixes in some mad science, an angry lab rat, and eventually a mutant groundskeeper. The story adopts a convoluted way to get Hugo transformed into a feral beast, and then downright refuses to allow him to do anything monstrous. This in and of itself could actually be funny, but more often it is just aggravating.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BnQSsPsEkAY/WVQHjo1ODcI/AAAAAAAAClU/d55kXOUmH14SFiYAYufvGmyXcglar8_8ACEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h34m50s357_zpschpcuhnp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BnQSsPsEkAY/WVQHjo1ODcI/AAAAAAAAClU/d55kXOUmH14SFiYAYufvGmyXcglar8_8ACEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h34m50s357_zpschpcuhnp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The titular monster.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>By the end of the film, Hugo is under siege from a tremendous amount of stock footage, most of it consisting of armies from various eras. This whole sequence aims for over-the-top and silly, but it feels more like a desperate attempt to salvage some kind of narrative and comedic finale to the movie. This final fifteen minutes of the movie is staggering in its own peculiar way, you just have to slog through the first hour to get there.<br /><br />What about the nudity? The movie talks about the freedom of naturalism, but it is obviously more interested in luridly staring at women removing their clothes. I have doubts about people professing a natural and healthy lifestyle while they chain-smoke and stand around in the sun without a drop of sunscreen. If you watch <i>Monster of Camp Sunshine</i> you will learn a dozen ways to hide your genitals on screen, ranging from the techniques of the beginner (a strategically placed towel) to the advanced (a strategically placed piano).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qkcwEAFn1k/WVQHxR9-GvI/AAAAAAAAClY/abpeV9FlQgY5qkd7WGxDitJpnIuC3ValgCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h34m10s281_zps5cmxrwui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9qkcwEAFn1k/WVQHxR9-GvI/AAAAAAAAClY/abpeV9FlQgY5qkd7WGxDitJpnIuC3ValgCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h34m10s281_zps5cmxrwui.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Heh, you said, titular."</td></tr></tbody></table>The best thing about <i>Monster of Camp Sunshine</i> are the opening credits. They are animated with cutout images much like the opening credits of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. They are inventive and funny, but set an unfortunate high bar for which the movie does not even attempt to reach.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-51439365525066312392017-05-05T09:00:00.000-05:002017-06-28T16:19:45.169-05:00Creepozoids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvkKOV0mxkA/WVQIEQF78aI/AAAAAAAAClc/5OWX61GV_LgSJDa55lvGWfAEsoCqnxpGACLcBGAs/s1600/Creepozoids_zps96q6neb6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bvkKOV0mxkA/WVQIEQF78aI/AAAAAAAAClc/5OWX61GV_LgSJDa55lvGWfAEsoCqnxpGACLcBGAs/s1600/Creepozoids_zps96q6neb6.jpg" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092795/" target="_blank">Creepozoids</a><br />1987<br />David DeCoteau<br /><br />It is 1998 and the bombs have dropped, the planet is a wreck and a band of military deserters are looking for somewhere to hide from the (literal) acid rain. They come upon a seemingly abandoned underground laboratory, stocked with all the food and water they need for an extended stay. How and why this place was abandoned so quickly doesn’t concern most of the refugees, but the throwing up black slime and dying part does grab their attention. Something is lurking in this base and the survivors have no way out.<br /><br /><i>Creepozoids</i> is a perfect low budget mishmash of other bigger budgeted films; the gruesome body horror, isolation, and claustrophobia of, <i>The Thing</i> (1982), a monster design lifted from <i>Alien</i> (1979), and the introduction of baby monster for no reason just like in the horror classic, <i>Three Men and a Baby</i> (1987). Throw in some nudity, slime, giant rat attacks, and a synthesizer score, and you have some legitimate b-grade fun. <br /><br /><i>Creepozoid</i>s doesn’t take any chances (at least not until the end), but it does follow the well-trodden Alien-clone formula with an earnestness that just wouldn’t happen in modern film. The acting might be wooden, the sets cheap, and the rats stuffed, but doesn’t stop everyone on screen from trying to sell their plight as serious business. I think anything less and the whole enterprise would have become to tedious to watch. If <i>Creepozoid</i>s has one major flaw, it is sending the characters endlessly running up and down the same ill-lit corridor while the audience waits for the next monster attack.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vakiRBlF1Ok/WVQIEdoRlUI/AAAAAAAAClk/uZM_Bf_Bu0wN_vekSkCA_gv2II3ldejWgCLcBGAs/s1600/Creeporat_zpsjn7php2m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="400" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vakiRBlF1Ok/WVQIEdoRlUI/AAAAAAAAClk/uZM_Bf_Bu0wN_vekSkCA_gv2II3ldejWgCLcBGAs/s320/Creeporat_zpsjn7php2m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This rat is whispering sweet nothings in my ear."</td></tr></tbody></table>Linnea Quigley is the star of show, she delivers all the nudity, and screaming that made her a cult icon. Everyone else in the cast are interchangeable non-entities, but I don’t really see that as a problem, the viewer interest lies in the monsters and Linnea. DeCoteau is a smart enough director to keep plenty of both on screen.<br /><br />The special effects are surprisingly ambitious, if not always successful. The scenes of various people half-mutating and vomiting black slime are shocking and well realized. The giant rats are just stuffed toys that are kicked around like fuzzy footballs, amusing but not scary in the least. The main monster looks great in tight shots, but the second the viewer gets a good look at its full body, it looks awkward and bulky. For some unexplained reason, a mutant baby serves as the film’s final boss. The animatronic is expressive and the whole special effect is wonderful for such a small film. Watching an actor wrangle with it borders on slapstick comedy, but it is also very entertaining.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NetsRo4Oxtg/WVQIEU5v7bI/AAAAAAAAClg/Ruk5G3bBHBsHah5WYKj2bUit4KhfE1wHQCEwYBhgL/s1600/Creepobaby_zpsf4svbh5b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="400" height="255" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NetsRo4Oxtg/WVQIEU5v7bI/AAAAAAAAClg/Ruk5G3bBHBsHah5WYKj2bUit4KhfE1wHQCEwYBhgL/s320/Creepobaby_zpsf4svbh5b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby's Day Out 2: The Reckoning</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i>Creepozoids</i> is cheap looking and derivative, but it is also very evocative of the small screen thrills that the height of home video era could bring. It offers low rent gore, sexuality, a smattering of science-fiction, and it’s all wrapped-up neatly in a short run-time.&nbsp; As is tradition, the best thing about <i>Creepozoids</i> is its box art.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-23845300779627429232017-04-28T09:39:00.000-05:002017-06-28T14:51:28.466-05:00The Abominable Dr. Phibes<br /><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oZjvzq_Z9i8/WVQIhed4Q5I/AAAAAAAACl8/xxVj9FbPAnQ01oCPwElw5j6OGdzyZNA8wCLcBGAs/s1600/Phibes_zpspeemllck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="131" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oZjvzq_Z9i8/WVQIhed4Q5I/AAAAAAAACl8/xxVj9FbPAnQ01oCPwElw5j6OGdzyZNA8wCLcBGAs/s1600/Phibes_zpspeemllck.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066740/" target="_blank">The Abominable Dr. Phibes</a><br />1971<br />Robert Furest<br /><br />A string of elaborate murders leads Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey) to believe that Dr. Anton Phibes (Vincent Price), an expert in music and theology, didn’t die in a car accident after all. More and more people fall to Phibes wave of death, as he dispatches a group of doctors and nurses, whom he blames for the death of his wife. The murders take the form of the ten biblical plagues of Egypt. Trout and one of the doctors on Phibes' kill list, race to stop him before he completes his sinister plan.<br /><br />I was simply not expecting <i>The Abominable Dr. Phibes</i> to be as gleefully dark and strange as it was. In my head, I had conflated it with another Vincent Price movie, <i>Theater of Blood</i> (1973) which also features him dispatching people in various amusingly themed ways. This particular film is a lush black comedy with a heavy dose of surrealism; it feels like it might co-exist in the same universe as <a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2014/09/phantom-of-paradise.html" target="_blank"><i>Phantom of the Paradise</i></a> (1974).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1aQWikZAsyg/WVQIhTHpONI/AAAAAAAACl0/aD0a9OBB2owoW0yCBU4QRmEwkLb07_-4wCLcBGAs/s1600/Phibes%2B2_zpshoe6eyzk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="850" height="172" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1aQWikZAsyg/WVQIhTHpONI/AAAAAAAACl0/aD0a9OBB2owoW0yCBU4QRmEwkLb07_-4wCLcBGAs/s320/Phibes%2B2_zpshoe6eyzk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Go ahead and gong me... I dare you."</td></tr></tbody></table>It is a brave choice to hire Vincent Price and then to deny the audience one of his most notable attributes: his voice. Dr. Phibes can only speak when attached to an amplifier via an audio jack in his neck (something <i>Phantom of the Paradise</i> also riffs on). The good doctor speaks little, and when he does it is with a distorted echo. This does give an opportunity to see what a fantastic physical actor Price can be. Dr. Phibes can throw out giant grandiose gestures and then can turn to the crumpled shuffling of someone beat down from suffering. Price embodies the character fully, and transforms Phibes into a monster you can really root for.<br /><br /><div rip-style-bordercolor-backup="" rip-style-borderstyle-backup="" rip-style-borderwidth-backup="">One of the most startling elements of the film is its music. Like its central character, the score is grandiose, humorous, and occasionally sad.&nbsp; The story will take the occasional break to allow Phibes’ own mechanical band to perform a musical number. Since Phibes was a expert in music, it stands to reason that it would be prominent in the film. Director Furest takes risks and as a result, gives the whole production yet another interesting facet that elevates it from being just another bombastic horror movie score.</div><div rip-style-bordercolor-backup="" rip-style-borderstyle-backup="" rip-style-borderwidth-backup=""><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47ffGKFpThM/WVQIhQtl_VI/AAAAAAAACl4/gVsy757Z5UgzxuracGCXg396aUZClLTtgCEwYBhgL/s1600/PHibes%2Bfrog_zpsaub08h5w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="500" height="160" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47ffGKFpThM/WVQIhQtl_VI/AAAAAAAACl4/gVsy757Z5UgzxuracGCXg396aUZClLTtgCEwYBhgL/s320/PHibes%2Bfrog_zpsaub08h5w.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take that, Pepe.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This is a horror movie, so what about the horror? Dr. Phibes bases his plan for revenge on the ten plagues of Egypt, but the execution is never simple. It involves such things as brass unicorns, and boiled Brussels sprouts. Phibes also seems to like his death traps; one featured in the finale, would not be out of place in the <i>Saw</i> films. I really would not be surprised if those movies drew upon <i>The Abominable Dr. Phibes</i> for inspiration. The build-up to a horror scene is often rife with dark humor, but it turns gruesome and serious in mere moments. The story does an excellent job in varying up its tone in order to keep the audience off balance.<br /><br />Colorful, funny, and occasionally grim, <i>The Abominable Dr. Phibes</i> is expertly crafted and performed. An outstanding horror film, and worthy of cult status.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-22825139301431705682017-04-21T11:01:00.000-05:002017-06-28T14:53:05.626-05:00Death by Love<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1e5XutW_aCM/WVQI344rZ4I/AAAAAAAACmE/B8iKEYHt59AnmdC6zUwEW2guTfAgwsxAACEwYBhgL/s1600/Death-by-Love_zpsigssylro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="168" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1e5XutW_aCM/WVQI344rZ4I/AAAAAAAACmE/B8iKEYHt59AnmdC6zUwEW2guTfAgwsxAACEwYBhgL/s1600/Death-by-Love_zpsigssylro.jpg" /></a><br />Death by Love<br />1990<br />Alan Grant<br /><br />One of the things that makes low-budget shot-on-video (SOV) movies so interesting, is there is often much less of a filter between creator and audience. In a less media savvy era, a creator would often unabashedly put their interests on screen with little concern for a perceived audience. This is often excruciating (<i>Boardinghouse</i> (1982)), transgressive (<a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2014/04/black-devil-doll-from-hell.html" target="_blank"><i>Black Devil Doll from Hell</i></a> (1984)), and deeply weird (<a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2013/08/sledgehammer.html" target="_blank"><i>Sledgehammer</i></a> (1983)) by turns.<i> Death by Love</i> might fall short in the exciting category, but it does serve as an excellent documentation of a director/star who really wanted to grind on actresses and built a movie around his cause.<br /><br />Joel Frank (Alan Grant) is a famous sculptor. His favorite subject is giant <span class="_Tgc">papier-mâché</span> ladies, and he’s quite good at courting sexy women to pose for him. He is also quite good at getting them into bed. Unfortunately, these women seem to end up dead at an alarming rate. This has attracted the attention of two inept cops and mysterious figure who seems to be tracking Joel’s every move. Who is someone stalking Joel? Who is actually responsible for the killings? <a href="http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j279/glittergodzilla/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h31m21s499_zps0shiyox1.jpg" target="_blank">Could those cops look any more unprofessional?</a> Also, what is up with that terrible sculpture?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwi9gbkgZL0/WVQI3y_R93I/AAAAAAAACmI/0Rxz-K9ZSY4lfuoy6_R-q-wmVfvS1QTuQCLcBGAs/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h31m24s860_zpsdf5gae4m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwi9gbkgZL0/WVQI3y_R93I/AAAAAAAACmI/0Rxz-K9ZSY4lfuoy6_R-q-wmVfvS1QTuQCLcBGAs/s320/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h31m24s860_zpsdf5gae4m.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuprin advertisement or horror movie? You decide.</td></tr></tbody></table><i>Death by Love </i>has a relatively simple story: Joel meets a woman, they have sex, she ends up dead, cut to either the mysterious figure or the dumb cops, and repeat. It becomes evident that the film is really a thin veneer for Alan Grant to get naked with women on camera. Director Grant does manage to push the story in a direction that neatly ties it all together. At its heart, <i>Death by Love</i> is a very traditional monster story, and I think with some less irksome characterization, it could have been a better film. On the other hand, without the languid pace and off-putting characters, the film would not have much personality at all.<br /><br />There is plenty of sex and nudity in this movie, none of it is appetizing. If the movie possesses any one major fault is that these sex scenes slow down an already slow story and eventually they grate on the viewer by interrupting what little plot there is. There are number of scenes of people standing around talking endless which doesn't help things much either.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6j1skfi7A_8/WVQIhquM5wI/AAAAAAAACmA/rA2uhrF-rmo3H4z8WBR1KVNHDxNDabPGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h31m36s765_zpsicxwwuvz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6j1skfi7A_8/WVQIhquM5wI/AAAAAAAACmA/rA2uhrF-rmo3H4z8WBR1KVNHDxNDabPGwCEwYBhgL/s320/vlcsnap-2017-04-20-17h31m36s765_zpsicxwwuvz.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Oh, I can hear the ocean."</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It can be very difficult to push commercial video recording equipment from the pre-digital era into looking good on screen. <i>Death by Love</i> is good example of this, everything is washed out and brown. If you only saw the opening scenes, you would swear it is leading up to show you how to do aerobics for seniors or cat grooming isntructions, it has the unassuming blandness that the vaporwave or creepy faux infomercials that air on Adult Swim often try to capture.<br /><br /><i>Death by Love</i> is an odd minor note in the already odd subgenre of SOV. It is quirky without being notably so, I don’t think it’s going to make any converts to micro-budget moviemaking, but it is an entertaining enough way to make eighty-five minutes pass by.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-68764821255322089972017-04-14T08:56:00.002-05:002017-06-28T15:01:09.151-05:00The Void<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0eEy4zdNiBI/WVQKqWg7xfI/AAAAAAAACmc/D5tFWSarNu4HluXbeRSCqpLJlwZMMSBbgCLcBGAs/s1600/The-Void_zpstorziyck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0eEy4zdNiBI/WVQKqWg7xfI/AAAAAAAACmc/D5tFWSarNu4HluXbeRSCqpLJlwZMMSBbgCLcBGAs/s1600/The-Void_zpstorziyck.jpg" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4255304/" target="_blank">The Void</a><br />2016<br />Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski<br /><br />Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) is a cop who is just about to go off duty when he sees a man stumble out of the woods, wounded and delirious. He takes the man to a hospital. Unfortunately, the only one close by is in the process of closing for good, thanks to a recent fire. As Daniel delivers the stranger, the building is suddenly surrounded by robed figures bearing a single dark pyramid shape on their hoods. Something awful awaits to be birthed from the hospital, and no one there can leave.<br /><br />It is odd that, for all its popularity among horror fans, cosmic horror is not really touched on very often in television or cinema. Perhaps it is because effective cosmic horror hangs on the intangible; its source is a sense of dread from something vast and unseen. One of the strengths of the written word is that it can evoke the intangible with relative ease, in a visual medium, that is much more difficult. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--8ISgupat9c/WVQK49OlxSI/AAAAAAAACmk/WhsFUsuMID8ftv6x2vgDlqaCByf4H9svgCLcBGAs/s1600/the-void-movie-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="738" data-original-width="1600" height="147" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--8ISgupat9c/WVQK49OlxSI/AAAAAAAACmk/WhsFUsuMID8ftv6x2vgDlqaCByf4H9svgCLcBGAs/s320/the-void-movie-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNT8SMlqLJA" target="_blank">The infamous Triangle Man</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>One of the things I am most pleased about is that despite its numerous homages to Carpenter, Lovecraft, and Fulchi, <i>The Void</i> forges its own identity. Too often modern films get so caught up in displaying reverence for a time-period or director they feel like little more than fan films.&nbsp; <i>The Void</i> wisely keeps from doing any clever name checking, or creating any specific connection to the Lovecraft mythos. The setting, tropes, and characters feel familiar, but have enough quirks and hidden traits that create something of their own.<br /><br />Visually, <i>The Void</i> is excellent. It never belies its small budget. Keeping the events mostly confined to a single location is used as an advantage as to keep the pressure turned up on the characters. The hospital is cavernous, you never get a good idea of geography but that may be intentional. The creatures are grotesque lumpy horrors that lovingly created through practical effects. In fine cosmic horror tradition, you rarely get more than a glance at them, leaving much of their anatomy to your imagination. In contrast, the cosmic part of the cosmic horror is often presented in a way that is clean and beautiful. The black pyramid motif serves as bridge between these elements, being shown both simply and cleanly and sometimes in a more chaotic fashion.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ya2GktFbVhs/WVQKqHVSCgI/AAAAAAAACmg/ujCE33Q8xA8JgDVjf39xOXjMTx6cPx7jACEwYBhgL/s1600/void%2Bback_zpst8mfppaq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="820" height="160" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ya2GktFbVhs/WVQKqHVSCgI/AAAAAAAACmg/ujCE33Q8xA8JgDVjf39xOXjMTx6cPx7jACEwYBhgL/s320/void%2Bback_zpst8mfppaq.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This light is working wonders for my Seasonal Affective Disorder."</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The plot could use a little more of the elegance of the visuals. What seems like a simple ‘base under siege’ story starts to grow needlessly complex with multiple pregnancies, threats from within and without, and needlessly antagonistic characters. I understand the need for the story to keep upping the threat to characters who cannot escape from their situation, but it feels clunky in the process. Thankfully, by the time, the story hits its climax, all the elements have fallen into place in a very satisfying way.<br /><br />While <i>The Void</i> never quite manages to create the stomach-dropping fear of something like the opening and closing dream sequences from <i>Prince of Darkness</i> (1987), it is none-the-less a solid entry in the subgenre.<i> The Void</i> is a masterfully crafted work of cosmic horror. I hope this is a sign of more great (and eldritch) things to come.<br /><br />Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2525581224827075073.post-50209349971198366532017-04-07T09:13:00.000-05:002017-06-28T16:21:26.317-05:00Daigoro vs. Goliath<br /><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lqxdyv_UNY/WVQSeE6FsVI/AAAAAAAACnE/jZZZ6omXq_sCWvOb558p5fcTe5B094ryQCLcBGAs/s1600/Daigoro_zpskd2zkbbt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="176" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lqxdyv_UNY/WVQSeE6FsVI/AAAAAAAACnE/jZZZ6omXq_sCWvOb558p5fcTe5B094ryQCLcBGAs/s1600/Daigoro_zpskd2zkbbt.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0188014/">Daigoro vs. Goliath </a>(aka Kaiju funsen–Daigoro tai Goriasu)<br />Toshihiro Iijima<br />1972<br /><br />Daigoro is a teenage kaiju who lives on an island with his trainer and a group of scientists. He was put there after his mother was destroyed trying to defend him. As he grows, he’s eating more and more food and costing the government too much money. They want to put him on a growth-suppressing drug. His trainer balks at the idea. Meanwhile, a strange object crashes into the sea nearby, and a hulking monster with an electrified horn rises from the deep.<br /><br />Your enjoyment of <i>Daigoro vs. Goliath</i> is in direct proportion to your ability to tolerate the silliest nonsense of kid’s movies. I understand that a movie for children might be less intense or grim (or at least that is the popular perception of what kid’s movie should be), but <i>Daigoro vs. Goliath</i> undercuts any moment of excitement or danger with a wackiness that is more grating that it is humorous.<br /><br />What little dramatic investment is available comes from Daigoro’s friend/trainer, an earnest guy who just wants to keep the monster fed, but is under pressure to administer a drug that will keep Daigoro from growing needing to consume more food. The rest of the human subplots follow a goofball inventor and an alcoholic who eventually fall into Daigoro’s orbit when his nemesis, Goliath, arrives to kick over some buildings and blow stuff up.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HOzMx5rvJu8/WVQSeJfs84I/AAAAAAAACnA/mO2_5JHeC_Axf2qEEvTOtXwggcf6chIlQCEwYBhgL/s1600/daigoro-goliath_zps8hqdwpjc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="500" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HOzMx5rvJu8/WVQSeJfs84I/AAAAAAAACnA/mO2_5JHeC_Axf2qEEvTOtXwggcf6chIlQCEwYBhgL/s320/daigoro-goliath_zps8hqdwpjc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey don't worry, Daigoro, we'll win them over in the sequel...<br />oh, oh, wait... I'm so sorry."</td></tr></tbody></table>Once the monsters are on the scene, a kaiju film usually picks up the pace. <i>Daigoro vs. Goliath</i> isn’t interested in pace, and instead, continues to drag things out. Goliath (or the Great Stellar Monster as he’s referred to in the film) was originally planned to be Godzilla, but Toho wisely decided to put a stop to that. He is not a terribly designed kaiju, and he would not be out of place in a later Gamera movie, but he’s not particularly interesting either. He’s just a big green pig-nosed lizard with a horn on his head that shoots lasers. Goliath should be an omnipresent and almost faceless threat to the much more cartoonish Daigoro, and within those parameters, he works just fine.<br /><br />Daigoro, looks like some kind of hippo/walrus monster with accordion arms. The design is almost as unsettling as <a href="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/godzilla/images/7/7d/Minilla.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130620163509" target="_blank">Minilla</a>, Godzilla’s son. He’s not the absolute worst looking kaiju I’ve ever seen, that distinction goes to Kong from <i><a href="http://www.outpost-zeta.com/2013/06/king-kong-escapes.html" target="_blank">King Kong Escapes</a></i> (1967), but for a main character, I didn’t find him very endearing. Far more successful is Daigoro’s ill-fated mother, who only appears in a flashback. With her mass of white writhing hair, and much more monstrous face, she strikes a much better balance between scary monster and something more kid friendly.<br /><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fIvK8Ndi5H8/WVQSd-JiDbI/AAAAAAAACm8/0FXtf3VfutIuwGyH4OMnNkfzIQrZfJ9lwCEwYBhgL/s1600/daigoro-gol%2B3_zpsmzaufsrl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fIvK8Ndi5H8/WVQSd-JiDbI/AAAAAAAACm8/0FXtf3VfutIuwGyH4OMnNkfzIQrZfJ9lwCEwYBhgL/s320/daigoro-gol%2B3_zpsmzaufsrl.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Bye everyone! See you in the sequ... wait, we did that joke already."</td></tr></tbody></table>The miniature work is largely acceptable, if uninspired. Most of the action takes place on a beach or in the ocean; places relatively simple to execute on a sound stage. We are treated to yet another oil refinery attack, giant monsters seemingly can’t resist stomping all over them. The actual battles between Daigoro and Goliath are weak, as they build to a overly complicated climax where it’s down to Daigoro believing in himself, while our trio of dumb humans attempt to cover Goliath's horn with a cloth.<br /><br />The 1970s, Godzilla films are often criticized for being kiddie-fare, and those criticisms aren’t unfounded. There is definitely some diminished storytelling here, with greater emphasis on tepid slapstick and selling toys. Still, most of the later Godzilla films are still enjoyable on some level,&nbsp; D<i>aigoro vs. Goliath</i> shows just how much worse it could have been.Glitter Godzillahttps://plus.google.com/117642833998810577880noreply@blogger.com0